On Thursday morning, the city of Cannes, France simulated a large-scale terrorist attack ahead of the Cannes Film Festival next month. The simulation was done to test out now security protocols put in place after two terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, 200 extras participated in the simulation, and the drill included fake car bombs. Here is how the scene was described:
The fake explosion rocked the city’s Palais, followed by four armed terrorists forcing their way up the Palais’ grand entrance where the red carpet will be in just three weeks. Local schools also participated, with security drills that would come into play in case of a terror attack.
The extras were lying “injured” in red vests along the Croisette and splayed across the steps of the Palais.
The YouTube video above is a film of the simulation. A city security consultant told the Hollywood Reporter that the point of the simulation, and the new protocols it tests out, is to prepare for a multi-site coordinated attack that lasts over a relatively long period of time, like the Paris attacks.
It’s easy to see why Cannes would be on such high alert, what with the Charlie Hebdo shootings and the November terrorist attacks so fresh in French people’s minds. Here’s hoping the city won’t need to deploy these protocols for real.
(via The Hollywood Reporter)
