Eiffel Tower shuts as staff walk out over rise in pickpockets

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/22/eiffel-tower-shuts-staff-walk-out-pickpockets

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The Eiffel Tower was closed to the public for most of Friday as workers protested against a rise in aggressive pickpockets around the Paris landmark that attracts thousands of visitors daily.

The walkout came a day after Paris authorities announced that crime against tourists in the French capital had dropped this year because of a reinforced police presence and video surveillance.

The tower did not open on Friday morning because staff were concerned about petty crime around the site. Clusters of tourists streamed beneath the tower, unable to reach its viewing platforms.

It remained shut while staff held meetings about security measures, then reopened in the late afternoon, according to the company that manages the site. The tower is normally open every day of the year, but sometimes closes briefly for bomb threats or strikes.

An employee at the site, Denis Vavassori of the CGT union, said the workers want a permanent police presence. “It is a growing problem. There were always pickpockets at the Eiffel Tower but now we are really facing an organised group,” he said.

Police officers patrolled the area on Friday on bikes, on foot and in cars.

“Unfortunately there are here people who assault and try to steal. So we do feel less free, and lose the opportunity to visit this beautiful monument,” said Brazilian tourist Francisco Madeira from São Paulo, who visited the site before the tower reopened. “There should be more organisation and police.”

Workers at the Louvre Museum staged a similar walkout in 2012.

Paris authorities said on Thursday violent theft was down 25% and pickpocketing was 23% lower in the first four months of 2015, compared with the same period last year.

City authorities have also broken up several major theft networks, according to Prosecutor François Molins, who visited the Champs-Elysées tourist district Thursday to show how seriously police are taking crime against visitors.

Paris has also heightened security since the January terror attacks in Paris left 20 dead, including the three attackers. The French capital still attracts large crowds, however.

Dave Kleps from Old Forge, New York, said his Paris experience had not been overshadowed by crime. “We’ve been here two days and I haven’t felt unsafe,” he said, speaking beneath the Eiffel Tower. “We are a little bit disappointed that it’s closed.”