A wind of panic affected many French people on Monday May 13, 2024 at 8 p.m. The reason ? They received a message from“Extremely serious alert” which had been sent by the FR-Alert device. The latter aims to inform smartphone users of an emergency or disaster occurring in their area. “Extremely serious alert. IMPORTANT: message from the Ministry of the Interior relating to the security perimeter of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games […] For everyone’s safety, access to the places where the ceremony takes place along the Seine is regulated from July 18.”could we read on the message received mainly by Parisians, all accompanied bya very loud ringtone. Joined by The Parisianthe Ministry of the Interior explained that it was an alert to warn people living within the security perimeter of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in connect to the dedicated platform to request a QR code.
🚨📱If you were in Paris within the security perimeter that will be set up for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, you should have received an alert on your phone to inform you of the opening of the platform to obtain the QR Code to access it… pic.twitter.com/qR8HMnsUy2
— Police Prefecture (@prefpolice) May 13, 2024
The alert disrupted the debates of the National Assembly
“The FR Alert tool makes it possible, in exceptional circumstances, to inform as many people as possible so that, in the exceptional circumstances of the Games, everyone can anticipate and take the necessary steps as soon as possible”added the police headquarters to Parisian. Only, this alert was very frightening and disrupted even in the hemicycle of the National Assembly. Indeed, at 8 p.m., while Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior, was in the middle of speaking on the burning issue of New Caledonia, he was cut off by the shrill noise of the alerts which sounded on numerous mobile phones. Although he tried to resume his speech, he was interrupted by President Yaël Braun-Pivet: “Mr. Minister, you can hear that there is an alert at the moment, no one can hear you!”.
Parisians express their anger after receiving the alert message
On X, formerly Twitter, Internet users expressed their anger after receiving such an alert message. “Extremely serious alert? For the Olympics ceremony? I almost had a heart attack!”, “Don’t use this very important system for anything. By crying ‘Wolf’, you end up not believing in it anymore”, “You are unconscious of diverting the use of FR-Alert for this damn QR Code”, “This is a deviation from the policy of anticipation and crisis management that must be denounced. FR-Alert is not a risk prevention policy”, we can read on the social network. Faced with such denunciations, the Ministry of the Interior insisted that it was an information message.
At Les Halles, my phone rang, followed by at least 3 others around in the minutes that followed. Not sure if this is a legitimate use of the system #FRAlert designed for attacks and natural/industrial disasters @Interieur_Gouv @prefpolice 🤔 pic.twitter.com/PQRx9PJsbO
— Rémi Cardona (@RemiCardona) May 13, 2024