Macron talks security in stronghold of France election rival
ABC News
French President Emmanuel Macron is traveling to the French Mediterranean coast to talk about internal security
NICE, France -- President Emmanuel Macron traveled to the French Mediterranean coast on Monday to talk about internal security, making a pit stop in the city where an extremist drove a cargo truck into Bastille Day crowds in 2016, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds more.
Macron has yet to officially confirm he is running for a second term in the election this spring, but his visit to the French Rivera had campaign overtones in a stronghold of Valérie Pécresse, a conservative who is seen by many as his most significant challenger.
He was meeting with law enforcement officials, the judiciary and city officials, checking progress on security-related projects set in place in 2017 when he was elected.
Monday's meetings were set for the former Saint Roch hospital, a 19th-century building in the heart of Old Nice. Macron will lay a foundation stone for a state-funded police complex where over 2,000 national and municipal officers will work together with state-of-the-art technology, including what Macron’s advisers called an “urban hyper-vison center” that will rely mostly on video surveillance.