TerrorismParis to builds protective system around Eiffel Tower

France will spend €20 million ($22 million) to build a permanent protective barrier around the Eiffel Tower, which will replace temporary defensive system put around the iconic tower in the fake of a spate of terrorist attacks in France.

“Sadly, the risk of terrorism hasn’t gone away,” deputy mayor Jean-François Martins said at a Paris press conference. “It’s not a wall, it’s an aesthetic perimeter.”

The Telegraph reports that Martins would not confirm a report in Thursday’s Le Parisien that a clear, bullet-proof glass structure would be built around the tower’s esplanade. The city has called for tenders, and Martin said that the shape of the structure will depend on solutions proposed and selected.

Following the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, in which 132 people were killed, the police has placed movable metal barriers around the tower. A few additional barriers were added during the summer 2016 Euro Cup soccer tournament.

The new protected perimeter will include the space under the tower, as well as two ponds on either side of it — an area which covers roughly 200 by 300 meters. The city is asking for protective systems able to stop bullets and. Tourists will be free to enter the area on foot, subject to security checks. The entry to the protective area around the tower will be free, but payment will be required to go up the Tower itself, as is the case today.

Martins added that the sight of yet another security measure in Paris is not going to deter tourists and visitors. “What scares tourists is lack of security, not security,” he said.