Major cities including Sydney, Paris and Tokyo have cancelled New Year’s Eve events days before December 31, amid growing safety concerns following terror threats and stampede fears
New Year’s Eve festivities are being called off worldwide due to escalating fears of terror attacks and potential stampedes.
Major cities, including Sydney, Paris, and Tokyo, have decided to cancel public gatherings, fireworks displays, and parties in the days leading up to December 31.
The wave of cancellations began after the FBI thwarted a planned bomb attack in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. Four individuals were apprehended in relation to the plot during a rehearsal just outside the city, , reports Birmingham Live..
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli presented drone-captured surveillance footage at a press conference earlier this month. The video depicted the suspects attempting to construct a bomb in a desert location.
All four suspects hail from the Los Angeles area. Despite the looming terror threat, Los Angeles has not officially cancelled any of its New Year’s Eve events, as reported by The Mirror US.
However, other locations are cancelling their scheduled celebrations.
Australia’s current National Terrorism Threat Level stands at probable, with warnings that a small number of individuals both within Australia and abroad harbour intentions to harm the country.
In the wake of an attack on members of the Jewish community at Bondi Beach earlier this month, which resulted in 15 fatalities and left 40 others injured, Sydney has decided to call off its famous fireworks display at the popular beach. This event typically draws crowds exceeding 15,000 people.
“Due to the current situation on the ground, Waverley Council has decided to cancel New Year’s Eve events at Bondi Beach, including elrow XXL Bondi and Local’s Lawn,” organisers at Waverley Council informed Sky News.
The decision was made with “compassion and care for Sydney’s Jewish community”, according to the organisers.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns expressed that the Jewish community are still not entirely safe due to the persistent threat of antisemitism.
Paris’ renowned music event on the Champs-Elysées has been cancelled following police concerns, as reported by Parisian outlet sortiraparis.
Police advised Mayor Anne Hidalgo to call off the concert, which draws tens of thousands, over fears of crowd crushes.
Despite the cancellation of the music event, the city’s main fireworks display will proceed as planned.
Tokyo was compelled to cancel one of their largest New Year’s events, abandoning the countdown outside the city’s iconic Shibuya Station due to concerns about potential stampedes from the thousands expected to attend.
Reports indicate that Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe also called off the event over worries about public drinking.
