“I want to stay where I’ve never been” is a famous line from the poet Thomas Brasch. Two tourists from the USA may have thought the same thing when they decided to spend the night on the spot under the open sky when they visited the Eiffel Tower on Sunday. A crazy idea in the truest sense of the word. Another simply dared to do a parachute jump.
The men bought a ticket for the landmark late Sunday evening and visited the top of the tower. That probably wasn’t enough for them. According to police sources, when descending the stairs, the Americans secretly climbed over barriers and installed an unintended stage in an area of the tower that was actually closed to the public. Apparently, however, the men had already looked so deeply into their glasses at this point that they were no longer able to get out of there again.
According to investigators, the men “were stuck in place because of their alcoholism,” reported the broadcaster France Info. It was not until Monday morning that the “intruders” were discovered sleeping peacefully by the security staff as they made their rounds before the monument opened, as the operator Sete announced. Rescuers from the fire brigade then brought the men to safety. As a result, the Eiffel Tower was only able to open to the public an hour late.
A hearing in a Paris police station followed. As reported by France Info, the investigation “due to intrusion into a historical or cultural site” was discontinued without penalties, since no damage was found. The operator had nevertheless announced to “CNN” that it wanted to file a complaint against the men, regardless of the fact that the tourists had “posed no threat”.
It was only on Saturday that the Eiffel Tower had to be evacuated because of a bomb threat that turned out to be a false alarm. Another bomb threat reached Paris police stations via email on Monday. Another evacuation was refrained from. But the excitement about the Parisian landmark is by no means abating. Just a few days after the unwelcome night guests, another troublemaker caused a sensation on Thursday morning.
Police were informed early Thursday morning that someone with a backpack was climbing the famous French landmark, police sources said. About an hour later, just before 7 a.m. and thus before the tower officially opened, the person jumped down with a parachute. Officers arrested her for endangering others.
Source: France Info, The Guardian, CNN, with agencies
