The subject has agitated social networks in recent days. Does being Russian prevent access to museums? The answer is no. We explain why.
It happened at the Château de Vincennes, near Paris, at the end of July: two women were refused access to the famous site by guards on the grounds that they were Russian. One of them said to herself “upset”especially since she fled Russia five months ago to protest the war in Ukraine.
To understand what happened, it is important to know that the Château de Vincennes notably houses the premises of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, libraries and archives with restricted access for this part of the castle. However, since the start of the war against Ukraine in February, an internal directive has been issued by the ministry to restrict access to all military sites to Russian nationals.
The surveillance agents at the entrance to the Château de Vincennes therefore applied the directive. But the ministry specifies that there was a lack of discernment on their part, explaining that the same rule is not applied to places which receive the public, such as the Château de Vincennes, as to strategic buildings of the army.
The ministry specifies that the tourist sites which depend on it remain open to Russians, such as, for example, the Air and Space Museum or the Invalides. The surveillance officers of the various museums concerned have received clarifications on the directive in order to avoid any new incident. Still, in general, the premises of the Ministry of the Armed Forces are logically subject to strict security rules; and sensitive buildings remain off-limits to Russians.
This summer, Russian tourists are very few in Paris: only 3 to 4% of the attendance of previous years. If they are not banned in France, the war caused their number to plunge in the first half of 2022.
How can everyone be better informed?
Participate in the consultation initiated as part of the European project De facto on the Make.org platform. Franceinfo is the partner