– 2,200 gendarmes, police and soldiers were mobilized last Sunday, during Pope Francis’ visit to Ajaccio. How was the day from a security perspective?
– I think everything went as well as possible. Firstly because we managed to transport to the island, house, deploy and put to work all these police officers, these gendarmes, these soldiers and civil security soldiers in the best possible conditions, and this, despite the short delays we had. I was also very keen that the interaction with the population was good and positive. I had instructed them to be there to help the population. They were not there to go against people, even if they were there, of course, to provide security. This means that at certain times, they were able to prevent you from going to certain places. But I wanted it to be done with a smile and I believe that, overall, it was successful: the relationship between the people who were in Ajaccio and the police who were mobilized for their protection and for the success of the The event was good. I have been told thanks, smiles, good situations that make me happy.
– No incidents were recorded on this day?
– No, there were only a few emergency services. There are approximately thirty people who were assisted without any serious consequences. With a concentration of several tens of thousands of people, we can say that it went very well.
– You are talking about a few thousand people, ultimately, perhaps it was a little less people than we expected who moved through the streets of Ajaccio?
– Before the event, we heard about 100,000 to 120,000 people, but I don’t know where this figure comes from. I had always rather bet on several tens of thousands of people, which was the case. There were approximately 40,000 people in direct contact with the Holy Father, at one time or another during the day. In particular, there were 10,000 people at Casone and around 7,500 on Place Miot. But I think that in the city there were more people during the day. The figure of 60,000 people given by some does not shock me. It’s quite exceptional for Ajaccio on December 15 and I think it’s a great success. If we add all those who did not want to travel because they were perhaps afraid of traffic restrictions or who preferred to follow it from afar, the 18 municipalities which organized broadcasts of this day elsewhere on the island , this represents a very significant part of the Corsican population which has mobilized.
– Significant traffic restrictions were put in place throughout the day, placing Ajaccio in a sort of bubble. Have some tried to override these prohibitions?
– There have been a few cases of people trying to pass, in good or bad faith. But I want to salute the behavior of our fellow citizens who were very respectful of the instructions. It must be remembered that 99.9% of the population behaved remarkably. I’ll give you an example: of the approximately 2,000 vehicles that were supposed to move in Ajaccio, we simply removed 30. So, this means that all the others had respected the parking ban order. So, a very civic attitude on the part of the population and which must be welcomed.
– As you said earlier, the organization of this event was done in record time. A real challenge that was achieved thanks to collaboration with the other entities that participated in this historic event?
I think those are the two things we can remember. First of all, it was mission impossible to do all that in a month, but nevertheless we reached the end of the film. And we got there because we worked very well together, in particular with the city, the Urban Community of the Ajaccian Country, with the diocese which was also very professional, and the Collectivity of Corsica. We did a good job collectively. There was a form of collective desire to succeed and that’s what worked.
– Personally, it was also quite a welcome for your first steps on the island…
– Yes, it was quite a hazing. For me, this was a very direct way of reaching out to everyone with whom I will have to work over the next few years. It was very positive in that respect, and it saved time.
