Strasbourg Christmas market: 1,000 security personnel, millions of visitors expected, municipal strike… the challenges of the event

Mulled wine, pretzels and more than 300 chalets: the famous Christmas market in Strasbourg, in the east of France, opened this Wednesday, November 27, with, like every year, a very large crowd in prospect… and concerns in security matters. This year, the theme chosen is “time to marvel”, with an emphasis on tales and stories, resonating with the World Book Capital event, a UNESCO label awarded to Strasbourg for 2024. last year, 3.3 million visitors went to the Alsatian capital, located near Germany. “The Christmas market has acquired considerable notoriety since the attendance figures over one month are impressive,” recalled prefect Jacques Witkowski, adding: “the 2024 version does not seem to be taking a lower path.”

1,000 personnel responsible for security

An influx which was not without its problems, in particular during peaks in attendance on weekends, with car parks filling up very quickly and complicated access to certain sites. This could have “created anxiety for certain people but also difficulties in intervention” for the emergency services or the police, recognized the prefect. Security concerns which are unlikely to be allayed after the announcement of a strike notice for the city's municipal police until December 18. “Speech and action are two different worlds”, point out the unions in a press release, deploring a lack of action in the face of their demands “concerning an increase in the compensation system and an improvement in retirement conditions”. In total, more than 1,000 staff are expected to be responsible for securing the Christmas market, open from November 27 to December 27.

The memory of December 11, 2018

On December 11, 2018, the Strasbourg market was devastated by an attack committed by jihadist Chérif Chekatt, who killed five people and injured 11 others in the crowded streets of the city center. For the 2024 edition, the security system has been adapted, particularly in terms of the direction of pedestrian traffic on weekends or visits to the cathedral. In the event of very high crowds – which will be monitored in real time by law enforcement, supported by drones – additional measures may be taken such as the closure of pedestrian bridges. The possibility of setting up QR codes to be presented to circulate in the hypercentre, as during the Paris Olympic Games, has however been ruled out because the aim is to “preserve the spirit of Christmas” and “keep an event which is popular, festive, open to all”, underlined the environmentalist mayor of Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian.