“There was no relaxation” in the fight against the terrorist threat before the attack in Nice on July 14, 2016, assured Monday the former President of the Republic François Hollande, before the special assize court of Paris. Called to testify at the trial, which has been held since September 5, the former head of state also warned against the “danger still represented by Islamist propaganda.” On July 14, 2016, an assailant driving a 19-tonne truck deliberately targeted the crowd gathered on the Promenade des Anglais to watch the fireworks and festivities organized that evening. It had killed 86 people and injured more than 450.
“All forces on the ground have been maintained”
Several lawyers representing the civil parties questioned François Hollande on a possible relaxation of vigilance after the Euro-2016 football tournament. “All the forces on the ground have been maintained” and the vigilance instructions to the municipalities reiterated during the July 14 festivities, he said. “There were more police forces on the ground in 2016 than in 2015,” the former president added. “We could have suppressed all the local festivals, asked that all planned July 14 be postponed (…) But we considered” that we had to “show that we wanted to live, while taking protective measures”, a- he added.
He underlined that the author of the Nice attack “was not regarded by the (intelligence) services as being capable” of carrying out a terrorist act and that there was therefore “no of elements to carry out an “administrative house arrest” and “prevent the heinous crime from being produced”. François Hollande, who was at the Avignon festival on the evening of the incident, also denied that CRS personnel had been moved from Nice to ensure his safety. “We were in a place that was secure because it was the festival and I had my security device. But there was no element that would have been called from any city to ensure my protection”, he asserted.
A judicial investigation has been open since 2017 on the security system
“Did we have the means to ensure the security of July 14? The answer of the prefect and the mayor of Nice was ‘yes'” Judicial information has been open since 2017 on the security system put in place this that evening. In a brief introductory statement, the former head of state said that “if major battles have been won” against the “scourges” represented by “Islamist propaganda and fanaticism”, “we have none. done with them.” Because of this threat “more difficult to detect”, “it is very important to fight against Salafism, to monitor social networks”, he added.