Eiffel Tower to be shielded by 2.5-metre bulletproof glass security walls

The Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, will soon be protected by bulletproof glass walls 2.5 metres high, part of a plan to prevent attacks at the monument, the city said Thursday.

The walls costing some 20 million euros (US$21.4 million) will be erected this autumn at the northern and southern ends of the monument area, city hall said in a statement.

On the western and eastern sides, “inelegant temporary” barriers that were thrown up around the 324-metre tower during the Euro 2016 football tournament in France last year will be replaced by ornate fencing.

“The terror threat remains high in Paris, and the most vulnerable sites, starting with the Eiffel Tower, must be the object of special security measures,” deputy mayor Jean-Francois Martins told a press conference.

The glass walls will prevent individuals or vehicles storming the site visited by six million people each year, he added.

Some councillors quoted by Le Parisien newspaper said they feared the walls would turn the iconic tower into a “fortress”.

They could turn off tourists who simply want to have their pictures snapped under the tower without visiting the venerable Iron Lady.