French President Emmanuel Macron bans illegitimate protests as curfews take effect
French President Emmanuel Macron has enacted a ban on unauthorized protests and is enforcing curfews due to a surge in violent clashes throughout France. In Paris, businesses are bracing for more unrest by boarding up their windows. This turmoil has led to the cancellation of a Steelers fan event ahead of the NFL’s international game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been forced to scrap several events in France, though they still plan to proceed with their regular-season game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
The team arrived in France on Friday morning after flying in from Western Pennsylvania the night before. Originally, they intended to go from the airport to a practice session, but that was ultimately canceled.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t the civil unrest that caused the cancellation, but rather the strong winds in the area. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy explained to reporters the team’s strategy upon landing: “We had two plans coming in. Just really wanted to activate the players after the long flight, just based on the communication with the weather, and just in reality of the timing too.”
He added, “We had to make the decision before we landed just to put it together. But honestly, driving by, I wish we would have stopped. This was part of our plan, and we thought it’d be good for the players.”
Reports indicated that winds were consistently around 20 mph, which might clarify why the team opted against practice that day. Still, no incidents of civil unrest were reported in their immediate area, despite previous tensions. McCarthy acknowledged that the unrest was definitely on his mind: “It’s my responsibility to always be aware of anything that surrounds our football team, so I’m definitely in tune. I think the NFL, the local government, and everyone involved have done a great job communicating.”
The Steelers made the decision to cancel their Fan House event in Paris due to recent events. They issued a statement confirming their excitement about participating in the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in France and noted that the league is coordinating closely with local authorities regarding security and operational matters. They explained that as a precaution, they decided to cancel the event planned in the Bastille area, which has seen its share of unrest recently. However, they remain enthusiastic about the game against the Saints scheduled for Sunday at Stade de France.
There haven’t been any reported operational issues affecting the Saints, and the Steelers are hopeful to resume their schedule after Friday. “We just arrived, so we’re right on schedule so far,” McCarthy said with a chuckle.
