Prensa. voanews.com
Summertime
in Europe often means that large-scale outdoor events are planned for weeks in
a row, with lots of people in public spaces. But vehicles have been used
several times to kill and wound pedestrians and citizens since last year’s attack
in Nice, France. Vans and cars have also been used to carry out attacks in
Germany, Sweden and Britain.
European
cities are known for their open public spaces, but more measures have been
implemented to keep citizens safer. Adjusting
to this reality means cities are adopting several approaches to protect their
citizens without turning their open cities into heavily-secured forts. An
example of this is the dozens of flowerpots on a large pedestrian street in the
city of Brussels, which are actually cement blocks in disguise.
Belgian
Crisis Center Spokesman Peter Mertens says that more than a year after the
March 2016 Brussels attacks, the threat level is still at 3 out of 4.
“Places
where people come together are a potential target and we need to be aware of
that. We are taking traffic obstructive measures, such as cement blocks. Local
governments are incorporating them into public spaces by building flowerpots
around the blocks so that it is visually less confronting for people but can
still be effective.”
Belgian
military troops are still patrolling the streets of the capital city. Brussels
was the scene of bombings in March 2015 at the airport and a metro station, and
several terrorists of the Paris attacks in 2015 were linked to Brussels.
Attacks
where a vehicle drives into the public are difficult to prevent, as the
attackers are often working alone, although Islamic State has taken credit for
some of the attacks.
Thomas
Renard, a senior research fellow at the Belgian Egmont Institute, says that
despite most measures taken by cities being reactive, it doesn’t mean another
attack can be prevented.
“Trucks and cars have been used before, but
not to the same extent. In the past few weeks, notably in the Westminster
attack in London, we see that the attackers can also show a lack of
originality. So they copy and reuse the technique over and over again,"
said Renard. "Even though we could say that very often measures are
reactive, there is also certain logic because also the attackers also tend to
reuse techniques.”
Summer
means many outdoor activities that draw large crowds. In Berlin, where a truck
killed 12 people and wounded 56 at a Christmas market in December, large-scale
events are handled differently now.
Events
that have taken place this month in Berlin were fenced off, large backpacks
were no longer allowed, and there was more police presence. There was live
video surveillance and concrete blocks lined the sidewalks for the duration of
an event. Interior
Senator Andreas Geisel's spokesman, Martin Pallgen, says European cities are
more aware than before.
“Nobody
knows what will happen next. There are security concepts and security measures
made before an event to see what is possible before and absolutely necessary
during events and what can you do after the events. The Manchester [UK]) attack
took place after the concert. All these small things that change the point of
security view we have on this. Nobody can really guarantee 100 percent security
for a free society.”
European
cities that haven’t been attacked, such as the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, keep
an eye out for developments and events in cities across Europe. The office of
the mayor says, “recent attacks abroad fit in to the current threat analysis
and underscore the reality of what big cities in Europe are dealing with at the
moment.”
When
several people were hurt by a car in the city of Amsterdam last weekend, there
were immediate fears of a terrorist attack. Police concluded the driver did not
intentionally drive into people, but had health issues.
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