Safety . Stupor in the capital of Flanders. For the first time since 1944, this iconic appointment is canceled due to the terrorist threat.
L ily will not have its sellout 2016. Since the Middle Ages, the city is transformed, the time of the first September weekend into a giant garage sales, where crowd nearly two million visitors. An unmissable event for lovers of China, who come from all over Europe, and the highlight of the Lille life. But for the first time since World War II, the event is simply canceled, even as preparations were underway.
A brutal decision that many feared not really believe it, and that the mayor has taken reluctantly, while ensuring that they received no specific threat regarding the event. “It’s a tear, said Martine Aubry yesterday at a press conference. I understand the disappointment of everyone, and I share it. I think of all Lille, families who were already beginning to prepare the sell, but despite all our efforts, it is clear that maximum security can not be guaranteed. This is an extremely painful decision to make, even frightening, but it is a question of moral responsibility. “
Indeed difficult to imagine a way to secure the sell while the risk of attack is maximum. The packed crowd, the huge volume of goods entering the city and the many vehicles and trucks stationed there since mid-August make the whole impossible to control reliably. “All those who are sellout know, there are places, moments when we do not advance, argues Martine Aubry. We speak at times 100 000 people around the Parc Jean-Baptiste Lebas, (note: where are placed the antique shops). Imagine, a madman, a terrorist who decides to act at that time? What damage, what slaughter, what horror before the police can not happen? “
Despite a limited area, enhanced security measures and” exorbitant means of common law “granted by the Ministry of Interior, the town hall and the prefecture eventually give up. “We can not, sorry Martine Aubry. And one can not misrepresent the sell by installing controls and armed men at every street corner. “
” The sell-off can not be a military parade, and make the party in fear, this is not a posture to take, adds Michel Lalande, the regional prefect. Of course, after the attack in Nice, our first move at all was to say: We will not give up to terrorism. But if passion is necessary, the reason is essential, and I’d rather face the wrath of those who have lost an opportunity to party, or money, the anger of those who have lost a child. “
The half marathon preceding the event, on Saturday morning, it is maintained for the moment. His fate will be permanently fixed on Monday.
Despite the intractable security issues, the mayor of Lille insisted that the 2017 sell-off would take place. The town hall and the prefecture are given a year to prepare the event, and consider new ways of ensuring the safety of all.
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