10,000 Soldiers to be Deployed in Public Places in France

France will deploy 10,000 new soldiers to protect public places and 5,000 police officers for the protection of properties and buildings belonging to Jews and Muslims. According to Reuters, citing French Defense Minister Yves Le Drian, the country will remain at its highest security level: "Threats persist, and we must protect ourselves from them. In this internal mission, we will use nearly the same number of forces that we have deployed abroad." Bernard Cazeneuve, the French Interior Minister, also stated that 4,700 police officers will be added to the 4,100 gendarmes currently stationed at 717 Jewish sites across the country. Manuel Valls, the French Prime Minister, announced that "synagogues and Jewish schools" along with "Muslim mosques" will benefit from new protective measures, adding that this decision is due to recent attacks on several mosques in France. During a series of terrorist actions by Islamists in France, 17 people were killed, including 10 cartoonists and staff of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, four Jews, and three police officers. Three hostage-takers were also killed by French anti-terrorist forces. France is home to the largest Muslim and Jewish minorities in Europe. Following these events, Israel called for increased security measures for Jews in France and invited Jews from the country to immigrate to Israel. In response, France announced its support for Jews in the country, with the Prime Minister stating that Jewish emigration from France to Israel would signify a "failure of the Republic" in France. The French government's decision to add thousands of new army and police personnel to security measures was announced one day after the largest march in French history. Millions marched in Paris and other cities alongside the leaders of the country and around 50 other countries on Sunday, January 21, to protest the recent attacks and show their solidarity.