Fleur Pellerin wishes to greet all the staff and services of the ministry, cultural institutions, higher education institutions Culture and the actors of the live show for their exceptional mobilization that has made it possible to ensure the continuity of the cultural offer to all audiences following the terrible attacks that struck Paris and Saint-Denis on Friday, November 13.
In order to meet the needs of strengthening security and supporting the cultural sector, the Ministry of Culture and Communication, in conjunction with the Prefecture of Police of Paris and the Ministry of the Interior, has developed a series of measures aimed in particular at entertainment establishments, services and undertakings. This device was implemented the day after the attacks and then completed over the days (see list of measures). It takes into account the specificities of each institution and each place to provide a case-by-case response.
Specific measures have also been implemented at several public cultural sites in Ile-de-France considered particularly sensitive. Static guards and mobile patrols are mobilized around these priority sites of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, given their very high attendance. The main Parisian concert halls, public or private, also benefit from increased vigilance.
These security measures are implemented thanks to new financial and human resources deployed at the request of the President of the Republic in the context of the state of emergency.
Fleur Pellerin has also created a support fund dedicated to live entertainment with 4 million euros (State, Centre national de la variété et du Jazz, SACEM) that it wishes to see strengthened by the contribution of the cultural world and private donors, to better respond to the emergency. Operational within the next two weeks, it will allow private-sector producers and theatres to cope with the successive cancellations that some have suffered since the attacks and to strengthen their security arrangements with emergency assistance. As for the cinemas, they will be accompanied by the National Cinema Centre (CNC) which, at its next board of directors, should make eligible for the support it manages the expenses of security equipment.
Finally, to answer the questions of the organizers of shows and cultural events on the devices and safety instructions they must put in place, and to provide permanent advice to public and private actors in the performing arts and visual arts, the ministry has activated an online information service that can be reached at 06 38 54 41 64 and by e-mail at info.securite.dgca@culture.gouv.fr.
Fleur Pellerin, Minister of Culture and Communication and Bernard Cazeneuve, Minister of the Interior, are working closely together to continue to provide all the answers and put in place all the measures that will strengthen the safety of cultural sites.
Security and assistance for all cultural actors
Measures put in place for the services of the Ministry of Culture and Communication:
- The dissemination of safety and security instructions to be complied with within the framework of the enhanced Vigipirate plan to ensure the safety and security of persons, buildings and property, as well as instructions on the holding and organisation of cultural events (indoor and outdoor events in Ile-de-France and the rest of France);
- The strengthening of access controls for Ministry staff (ID, card, badge, visual inspection of bags), upon decision of the management of the institution concerned. The staff of external events, external service providers, temporary and temporary staff, but also according to the size and configuration of the establishment or its site, permanent staff, after informing/consulting the special establishment CHSCT;
- The designation of a security referent in each DRAC and the mapping of sensitive areas in the departments in connection with the prefectures;
- The activation of a psychological support cell for the agents and staff of the Ministry and its operators (until November 26);
The measures put in place for public institutions:
- The reinforcement of the measures of the Vigipirate Plan, raised to its maximum level ("Terrorist Alert") in Ile-de-France, involving in particular the systematic visual inspection of external audiences and their baggage or the limitation of parking in the vicinity of sensitive sites;
- The release of funding to strengthen the security measures of public institutions;
- The implementation of enhanced protection in several public cultural sites in Ile-de-France considered particularly sensitive.
The measures put in place for professionals in the performing arts, visual arts and cinema:
- The creation of a support fund dedicated to live entertainment to support private theatres both in their security expenses in the operational difficulties they encounter in connection with the attacks (cancellations, decrease in attendance);
- The activation of an on-line information service to answer the questions of the organizers of shows and cultural events on safety devices and instructions;
- The implementation of an enhanced security protocol for 65 concert halls located in Paris (halls with a capacity of 1000 seats or more);
- The implementation of the eligibility of expenditure for the security of cinemas with the aid of the National Cinema Centre (CNC) for works and investments made for the cinematographic exploitation;
- The activation of a psychological support and assistance unit for performing professionals, artists and technicians;
- The implementation of a monitoring of the impact of attacks on the activity of cultural structures (attendance, turnover, etc.) by the Ministry.