(May17, 2017): The 70th Cannes Film Festival is beginning amid unprecedented levels of security. The town is about 3km from Nice where, 10 months ago, 85 people were killed when a truck ploughed along a crowded promenade.
The threat level in France, assessed by the Vigipirate system, has been described as “elevated”, and armed soldiers have been placed at Cannes railway station and Nice airport.
For the first time, local policemen will be issued with handguns. Until this point, only national police officers were allowed to carry side arms. The Cannes gendarmes have also been seen wearing bulletproof vests.
Up to 400 huge flower pots have been placed along the famous Croisette that leads along the seafront from the Palais des Festivals to the eastern edges of the town. The features are intended to act as a barrier against any vehicular assault in the style of the Nice atrocity.
