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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

Two computers stolen from French Olympics’ organiser in Lille

Two computers belonging to "a manager responsible for the planning of the Lille Olympic site" were stolen from a car parked in the city, the prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.

Lille central police station.
Lille central police station. Two computers belonging to a manager responsible for the planning of the Lille Olympic site were stolen from a car parked in the city on Monday. AFP / DENIS CHARLET

However, the spokesperson did not specify the nature of the data linked to the Olympic Games that they contained.

“The complaint from a manager responsible for the planning of the Lille Olympic site was received on the evening of April 29 regarding the theft of two laptops and a badge which were in the organiser’s vehicle, which was parked in front of their home,” said Lille prosecutor Carole Etienne.

“Investigations are underway” to identify the suspect and determine “the exact nature of the data that these computers contained in connection with the 2024 Olympics,” she added.

According to a police source, one of the stolen computers was likely to contain “security plans” for the infrastructure of the Olympic village of Villeneuve-d’Ascq in Lille.

The theft occurred Monday at around 6:30 pm, according to this source, who said that access to files hosted on the network and the cloud was blocked by the Paris 2024 IT department.

“In accordance with Paris 2024 procedures, all data recorded on Paris 2024 computer equipment is encrypted and protected by passwords, and as soon as the theft was reported, the computer was locked remotely,”  a spokesperson from the Olympics’ Organising Committee (Cojo) said.

“The security of computer equipment is one of the priorities of Paris 2024, which has taken all risks into account in order to deal with any incident,” the Committee said.

The stolen badge was “an identification badge which does not allow any door to be opened” and “the computer was turned off”, a second police source told AFP.

At the end of February, a bag belonging to an engineer from the City of Paris and containing a computer and two USB sticks where notes relating to the Paris Olympic Games were stored was stolen from a train at Gare du Nord.

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PARIS

Firefighters protest for Paris Olympics bonus

Several thousand firefighters marched through central Paris on Thursday to demand a bonus for the upcoming Olympic Games in the French capital and threatening to strike.

Firefighters protest for Paris Olympics bonus

Protesters set off smoke bombs and threw large firecrackers on the Place de la Republique, prompting the police to remove several demonstrators.

Nine unions had called for a day of action on Thursday, warning of possible strikes.

The firefighters and personnel from the departmental fire and rescue services (SDIS) demanded more staff, appropriate medical care and a bonus for their involvement in the Games in line with payments offered to police.

ANALYSIS: Will there be strike chaos during the Paris Olympics?

“We demand equal treatment with regards to the Olympic Games bonus. We want to be treated like the police”, CGT union representative Sebastien Delavoux told AFP, saying the police “have obtained bonuses ranging from €1,500 to €1,900.”

Paris’s police préfecture did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the rally.

The French capital, which has not hosted the Games in 100 years, is on a heightened security alert for the Olympics.

The Olympics will run from July 26th to August 11th, followed by the Paralympics from August 28th to September 8th.

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