Despite security concerns, NFL plans to stage Paris game amid French protests

As nationwide protests continue across France, raising security concerns, the NFL says its first regular-season game in Paris on Sunday is still planning to be staged.

When the New Orleans Saints arrived in France following their win Sunday against the New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Steelers arrived Thursday, they came to a country that has been roiled by protests since early October over high cost of living and deteriorating conditions in the country’s schools. French officials have said the unrest has led to thousands of arrests. The French government estimated that some 550,000 people took part in demonstrations last Saturday and a curfew has been put in place in some parts of Paris. Though much of the protests have been peaceful, some have turned violent as masked looters clashed with riot police.

In one instance the mayor of the Parisian suburb Saint-Denis, the site of Stade de France where the Steelers-Saints game will be held, stood between police officers and protestors. A league spokesman wrote Wednesday that “preparations continue as scheduled.”

The security and events team the league uses to host events such as the Super Bowl are also staging this international game inside Stade de France, the spokesman…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports