Almost 50,000 French police officers will be engaged in provision of security of the musical celebration dubbed Fete de la Musique across the country on Wednesday evening, French government spokesman Christophe Castaner said.
On Tuesday, the Belgian military neutralized a man who had carried out a small explosion at the central train station of Brussels. The incident has been classified as a potential terrorist attack by the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s office.
“I consider that we should not panic. We should strengthen the positions. A total of 48,000 police officers and gendarmes have been mobilized to ensure security of the French people this evening. You should never give way to fear,” Castaner told the Europe 1 broadcaster, answering a question about the reasonability of mass events in the country shortly after the attack in the Belgian capital.
Fete de la Musique is an annual French musical festival held in the European country during the summer solstice. Partaking in the event are both professional musicians and amateurs performers in the parks, squares and public gardens of the French cities, free of cost.