x.com/MiaVasq00980410/status/2111281496237748407
1 correction found
The French warning people not to pickpocket Americans during the Olympics because Americans kept beating the crap out of them
French Olympic-era safety notices warned visitors to watch out for pickpockets, not pickpockets to avoid Americans. Reporting on the drop in petty crime during Paris 2024 credited the huge police and gendarmerie presence, not Americans assaulting thieves.
Full reasoning
French authorities' published Olympics safety guidance says the opposite of this claim: it warns the public about pickpockets. On the National Police's Paris 2024 safety page, the warning reads: "Pickpockets: Be careful, pickpockets may be present in transportation and at gathering places. Please look after your personal belongings carefully." That is a warning to spectators and tourists, not a warning telling pickpockets not to target Americans.
Contemporaneous reporting on why petty crime fell during the Games also points to the exceptional security deployment, not to Americans "beating the crap out of" thieves. AP/Euronews reported on August 2, 2024 that French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said crime rates were down "probably" because of the increased police and gendarme presence in public areas. Le Point likewise quoted Darmanin saying delinquency had dropped largely because of the "hyperpresence" of police and gendarmerie. And the French Gendarmerie documented that roughly 2,200 gendarmes were mobilized for transport security during the Games specifically because stations and trains are places where pickpockets operate.
So this post gets both the direction of the warning and the reason for reduced pickpocket activity wrong: the official warning was for potential victims to beware pickpockets, and the documented anti-pickpocket response was a massive security deployment.
4 sources
- During the Olympic Games, the national police protects you | Police nationale
The French National Police's Paris 2024 safety page states: "Pickpockets: Be careful, pickpockets may be present in transportation and at gathering places. Please look after your personal belongings carefully."
- Crime in Paris slashed since Olympic Games' start, minister says | Euronews/AP
French officials said petty crime was down since the Olympics began, and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said crime rates were reduced "probably" due to the increased police and gendarme presence in public areas.
- JOP 2024 : près de 2 200 gendarmes mobilisés pour sécuriser les transports en commun | Gendarmerie nationale
The Gendarmerie said 2,200 personnel were mobilized in transport during the Games, noting that stations and trains are places where many pickpockets and other organized offenders target victims.
- Paris 2024 : Darmanin dresse un bilan sécuritaire de la première semaine des JO | Le Point
Le Point quoted Darmanin saying delinquency indicators had fallen markedly since the start of the Games, likely because of the "hyperprésence de la police et de la gendarmerie" (hyperpresence of police and gendarmerie).