Citizens of Paris who are constantly worried about their safety in the French capital due to past terrorist attacks can now download an app where they can report, locate and avoid “hazardous locations.”
The app is being referred to as the ‘No-Go Zone’ which also allows users to share instances of “aggression, theft, harassment or incivility” at any location in the city and consequently mark them on a public map. The other users will then be able to see the entries and incidents to keep them informed and guided on what is going on around them.
A description of the app says: “Whether you are staying in an unknown location, looking for a safe place to live, on your way to a specific location, or for whatever reason, No-Go Zone allows you to reduce any risk of aggression, theft, harassment or incivility.”
The timing of the app’s release is also apt for women in light of complaints from them saying they face frequent harassment from migrants in certain parts of the city. Women in the East Paris district of Chapelle-Pajol, in particular, have stated that they cannot even leave their homes without receiving verbal abuse from migrants and drug dealers who have gone to their area in large numbers.
The application has so far been downloaded at least 5,000 times and the reviews have been generally- and generously- positive with people describing the app as essential to them and their safety.
There are also those who use the reviews for the app to slam France’s immigrant population, with one user describing it an “indispensable application for anyone who thinks that the cultural ‘enrichment’ of non-natives is not compatible with our way of life.’
Another user said: “Given the current degradation, it is better to have the app… Unfortunately.”
Paris saw a big increase in migrants the past year after the infamous Calais Jungle camp was dismantled, and makeshift shelters and tents have become common on the streets of Paris.
In October last year, the French government denied the existence of no-go zones in the country after then Prime Minister Manuel Valls’ visit to an area where a police officer was left in a coma after being hit by a Molotov attack. The claim was later rejected by French police unions who said that no-go zones do exist and that even law enforcers and firefighters are, in fact, unable to safely implement their duties in said areas.
Just this February, a group of French migrant-heavy suburbs in Seine-Saint-Denis, just outside of Paris, including one with past links to violent Islamist extremism, experienced nights of violence and arson. French authorities have then identified such areas as “sensitive urban zones”, some known for violence, drug crime and for coddling terrorists.
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