Olympics Day -1: Thousands denied access and a foiled Russian plot
The Paris Olympic Games might be the last event of the outgoing French minister of internal affairs, known for his very tough line on security – and boy, did he deliver. Almost 4,000 applications for Olympic accreditations have been rejected. Judicial records, connections to radical Islamist groups, and potential foreign interference were the main reasons for these rejections.
This sparked outrage from the Kremlin, which was largely affected by this measure. Indeed, around 100 accreditations were rejected over fears of foreign espionage and cyberattacks – with the suspicion of agents faking their professions – mostly as journalists and technical workers. Those came from Russia, Belarus, ”and others”, as stated by 'minister-on-the-leave' Gérald Darmanin.
French intelligence services noticed a rise in attempted foreign attacks and espionage this year, and Microsoft warned last month of a disinformation campaign waged by Russia to damage the reputation and safety of the Paris Olympics. Last Sunday, a Russian chef was arrested in Paris, accused of plotting sabotage as he was found in possession of documents linked to an elite Russian special forces unit. While his planned interference was not terror-related, it was characterised as ”large scale.” French intelligence services didn't share details.
Every application for accreditation has been investigated, and nearly a million profiles will have been screened before the start of the Games. By comparison, for the 2012 Games in London, 500,000 investigations resulted in only 100 accreditation refusals.
Back then, the context was different. In 2024, Russia was regularly accused of ”destabilising” France. Antisemitic tags on war memorials, the placement of coffins in front of the Eiffel Tower, and disinformation campaigns were all linked to the Kremlin.
On the other hand, some media have questioned the intense caution, reporting that citizens have been unfairly affected by the security measures. One French technical worker was refused accreditation due to a judicial record with dropped charges related to his past as a left-wing activist. Last year, Human Rights Watch already called out the French government for unjustly using the potential risk of terrorism to shut down too many civil society associations.