Phone alert surprises Parisians ahead of Olympics

“IMPORTANT: Notice from the Ministry of Interior regarding the security area for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,” the warning reads.

It asked “residents, employees, shopkeepers, hotel and restaurant guests” to connect to a platform and receive a QR code that allows them access to the secured area.

It said the safety measures would apply from July 18 to July 26 – the day the games are scheduled to begin.

The alert was sent out during peak evening hours “to reach as many people as possible,” officials said.

It even disrupted a verbal exchange in parliament between Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and members of the radical left-wing party France Unbowed (LFI).

The Paris Games are scheduled to begin on July 26 with an unprecedented opening ceremony on the Seine that will require one of the largest security operations in French history.

“This is not a test,” said the Interior Ministry.

“An extraordinary event requires extraordinary measures.”

Darmanin, who is responsible for security at the Olympics, was interrupted during a speech when his phone and those of others in parliament began pinging at the same time.

Amid laughter from the opposition, the minister tried to turn off his phone and continue his speech, forcing Parliament Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet to intervene.

“There’s an alarm and no one can hear you!” she said.

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