Public celebrations of Christmas suddenly required anti-terrorism measures in Europe. Moreover, the threat was coming from within.
Left to fester, the danger has only grown. Over the past three years, the costs in Germany for public events have risen on average by about 44 per cent – a surge driven by sharply increased security requirements. Now many of the markets resemble fortified zones, and unaffordable security costs have led to some cancellations. France has also thrown money at security and cancelled its traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations due to a ‘very high’ threat of terror. Tellingly, the threat is significantly lower in the more eastern European countries such as Hungary and Poland.
In Britain, the season of the bollard is well and truly upon us. Trafalgar Square, home to London’s Christmas tree and glowing Christmas stalls, looks like a military zone, with railings, police vans and blockades. The fortifications around ‘Winter Wonderland’ would give the Count of Monte Cristo a run for his money.
It’s particularly jarring when these defences are disguised as something more innocuous or even decorative – a flowerbed, a seat, or simply a device designed to manage crowd flow and guide people along the street. It is not unusual for councils to decorate the new infrastructure, wrapping red bows around square bollards to mimic oversized Christmas presents. The half-hearted attempt to simulate festive cheer is wholly at odds with the stark symbolism of the bollard. Few things could sum up the cognitive dissonance of modern life so well.
The latest development is in Birmingham, which recently installed new ‘hostile vehicle mitigation’ bollards in preparation for Christmas. Birmingham City Council even released a video excitedly announcing the measures. The backing music is hilariously incongruous. It would better fit a reality TV show about weight loss in the noughties than a post about jihadists mowing down innocent people at a Christmas market...<<<Read More>>>...
