Given the terror threat to the Euro 2016 football tournament, should you go?! Definitely, said a former senior counter-terror policeman.
Chris Phillips was among those speaking about the Euros, last month. The former former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) told Radio 4’s PM news on June 7: “It’s always very difficult to get the actual level of the threat right, without overstating it.” He made the point that terrorist threats consistently increased, during the month of Ramadan, when Islamists see the time as ‘extra holy’ to carry out attacks. Would he go to France for the Euros?! “I would definitely go, and we should go, and people should not change their plans just because we don’t know whether there is or isn’t going to be a terrorist attack. It’s important that people generally go about their business and don’t kow-tow to people that want to terrorise in this way.”
Escape route
Asked for advice, he suggested be aware of your surroundings; and if you see something, report it. “Also important is to actually make sure you have an escape route, and that you know what you should do if an emergency happens.” He was speaking before trouble flared between Russian and English fans in Marseilles before the two countries’ opening match on June 11. “You can expect the [French] police to be quite robust – the last thing they need is to deal with people misbehaving. Please don’t go over there and try to make the problem worse.” He ended with a point that also applied during the London Olympics; that while stadia had the most protection, other ‘crowded places’ events required protecting.
Pictured: Wembley Stadium
