UTM’s travel study program has rerouted their scheduled upcoming trip to London and Paris due to the recent terror attacks in France.
The trip has now been rerouted to include a visit to Ireland in lieu of the scheduled visit to France.
The change comes after an attack on the offices of French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo left 12 dead and shocked French citizens. French officials say that the attack was conducted by a terrorist sleeper cell, and that extensive security measures have been put into effect.
“All necessary measures will also be taken to ensure the safety of people who attend a massive unity rally planned in Paris on Sunday,” said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, as reported by CNN. “Extra steps will also be taken to protect religious institutions.”
These security measures include parking and transit restrictions, increased sniper presence, and the increase of plainclothes and anti-terror officers, some of whom were active during the rally Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015.
Although much of the furor surrounding the attacks has subsided, security measures are still heightened, and tensions are still prevalent. According to UT Martin’s Academic Affairs Policy, “The University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM) does not recommend travel to destinations with an active Travel Warning issued by the U.S. Department of State or a Travel Health Warning issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
“These are UTM students, any of whom are not experienced travelers, and there are some tensions in the atmosphere, and it is better not to put them into those situations,” Executive Director of the College of Business and Global Affairs Dr. Malcolm Koch said. “Although the level of risk is minimal, it is certainly greater than it was two months ago.”
The BBC reported that Prime Minister Manuel Valls had announced the creation of 2,680 new security-related jobs, including 1,100 in police intelligence, over three years. In addition, 7,500 defense jobs due to be cut will now be saved. France had been planning to cut 25,800 defense posts over five years.
Despite the increased security, the Travel Study department has decided to refrain from its scheduled trip to the country. The trip will instead feature a visit to Ireland.
“There’s no reason not to have an abundance of caution and to be super conservative,” said Dr. Koch. “The risk is minimal, but it’s just not worth taking the risk.”
