Irish soccer fans urged to be vigilant at Euro 2016 amid terror fears
An estimated 85,000 Irish fans will travel for Euro 2016, which kicks off this Friday in Paris.
The tournament comes seven months after 130 people were killed in terrorist attacks in the capital, last November.
“Undoubtedly, following on the tragic events in Paris, before Christmas, and more recently in Brussels, in March, of course we have concerns that Europe continues to be a target for terrorism,” Mr Flanagan told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
“I would be advising people to exercise a high degree of caution, as they prepare to travel to France. Of course, we hope everybody enjoys the tournament, particularly those travelling from Ireland. We estimate that between 75,000 to 85,000 will travel,” he said.
French authorities declared a state of emergency, following the November attacks, and that will be kept in place until after the tournament.
“Against the background of the state of emergency, I believe it is important that people are vigilant and do exercise a high degree of caution at all times, and that means taking advice and taking precautions,” Mr Flanagan said.
He advised fans to be prepared for security checks across the country.
“Expect that there will be random searches, perhaps on public transport. In general, they should allow sufficient time to make arrangements for their travel. There will be checkpoints, there will be bag searches. I would, of course advise that, before they leave, that they would ensure they have travel insurance, the EU health card and, of course, they would always carry ID,” the minister said.
“We are one of the few countries in Europe that doesn’t have a national ID card system. I would advise, therefore, that people would carry their passports with them at all times, because they can expect to be asked to produce identification at any time,” he said.
“There will be a heightened state of security around the stadiums. Give plenty of time to get to the matches and, on public transport in general, allow for time, and be prepared to fully co-operate with the authorities, be they at local authority level in France, or, indeed, with the French police force,” Mr Flanagan said.
Eight gardaí will be sent to France to co-ordinate with their French counterparts. Some will be based in a central police co-ordination hub in Paris, while some will be posted in Bordeaux and Lille, where the Republic of Ireland will play Belgium and Italy, respectively.
Extra embassy staff and consuls have been hired to assist Ireland fans for the tournament.
On Monday, officials in Ukraine revealed they had arrested a Frenchman, who was apparently inspired by extremist right-wing beliefs to plot a series of bloody strikes in his homeland, after buying an arsenal of weapons in an undercover sting.
Ukrainian agents had been following the man since December, and allowed him to buy five machine guns, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 125kg of TNT, 100 detonators, and other arms, as part of the sting.
Advice for Irish fans travelling to France
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
