Overview
- Fireworks and a light display at the Arc de Triomphe will go ahead, with authorities urging people to watch on television rather than gather in person.
- The Paris police prefecture pressed city leadership to cancel the live concert, citing security concerns including “unpredictable crowd movements.”
- Last year’s Champs-Élysées event drew about one million attendees, and police reported 984 cars torched and 420 arrests across France that night.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reports a very high terror threat and says six plots were thwarted in 2025, with reinforced security ordered at Christmas markets and restricted vehicle access.
- Political figures and commentators criticized the move and linked security strains to immigration policies, a contested claim not endorsed by officials announcing the cancellation.