Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior, March 7, 2021. -

Francois GREUEZ / SIPA

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Wednesday asked the prefects to strengthen security around places of Christian, Jewish and Muslim worship as religious holidays and the period of Ramadan approach.

In a context of "the persistence of the terrorist threat", Gérald Darmanin wishes their attention "to be particularly focused on gatherings and services which traditionally concentrate large audiences in certain places and at certain times and therefore constitute symbolic targets. strong ".

“Special attention” during Ramadan

For Christian and Jewish cults, which celebrate Palm Sunday then Easter and Passover from March 28 to April 4, respectively, Gérald Darmanin advises prefects to “limit the number of accesses to places of worship”. particular to vehicles ”parked near the meeting places, and reinforce the presence of the police at the times of arrival and departure of the faithful.

He also recommends to engage "on the most sensitive or emblematic places and buildings at the time of gatherings and celebrations" of the soldiers of Operation Sentinel, deployed since the January 2015 attacks to face the threat. terrorist.

On October 29, two faithful and the sacristan of the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption in Nice were killed with a knife by Brahim Aouissaoui, a 21-year-old Tunisian.

For Muslim worship, before the month of Ramadan from April 13 to May 12, the minister asks for “special attention” on a daily basis from sunset, a time of breaking the fast “potentially likely to generate large gatherings of people on the road. public road and around mosques ”.

He also wants “the implementation of enhanced vigilance and security measures” on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr feast, which marks the end of Ramadan, on May 12.

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