Terrorism is a global phenomenon, and the terrorists are bent upon destroying historical monuments. After the attack on the Louvre, there are fears that the eiffel tower could be another target. This iconic monument garners nearly $ 6million annually and, France has decided to put it behind an 8-ft high glass wall to protect it from vandalism.
This protective wall will be an addition to the existing anti-terror measures in the world like a ban on specific substances in flights, body scans at airports, monitoring terror suspects and sharing information with other agencies on terror-related affairs.
France is in the crosshair of terrorists, and the number of lives lost in terror attacks in the country is proof of that. It justifies the proposed glass wall at the cost of €19million.
Why target the Eiffel Tower
The attack on the louvre was carried out by a vandal who wanted to destroy the priceless paintings in the museum. One of the paintings is the Mona Lisa which is kept behind glass. The man had a machete with him and spray paints in his backpack and, his statements to the police indicate that his sympathies were with the Syrian people.
The next target of such vandals could be the iconic Eiffel Tower, hence the plan to construct a wall around the monument which will be high enough to deter any possible attack at the ground level.
The wall would meet three objectives. One of these is to improve the look of the monument, and the others are to make it more accessible for visitors and, protect the people.
The 8-ft high glass wall around Eiffel Tower
The glass wall that will come up around the Eiffel Tower will be 8-ft high and will replace the existing metal fences that had been installed during the 2016 Euro football championships.
The glass wall is expected to prevent individuals or vehicles from storming the site of the monument.
Paris has faced ISIS controlled terror attacks several times in the recent past. In November 2015 some attacks claimed 130 lives. Last year, on Bastille Day in Nice, 86 people died, and 434 were injured when the attacker drove a truck into the crowds.
He used the vehicle as a weapon of mass destruction.
Preventing terror attacks is on the agenda of every country and, since the attack can be from any corner, it is imperative that all loopholes are plugged, and nothing is left to chance.
