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rodrigocoelho

Reuters just reported: "French President Hollande decides state of emergency for all of France, borders closed."

Source: http://live.reuters.com/Event/Paris_attacks_2?utm_source=twi...

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How, physically? Do borders really... exist in the Schengen Zone?

Like, how do they shut this down?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/France/@49.5467828,5.43629...

That's fairly easy. Airports are closed right now, the old border posts, even though they have been un-manned for quite a while (but not everywhere, as I found out to my surprise a few months ago, a so called 'spot check' was set up on one of the old border posts) can be easily re-established using military personel.

It's a lot easier to re-establish something that was there before than it is to do it from scratch and this is more of a logistical problem (and a personel one) than one of technicalities about whether or not such a thing can be done. It's not like France didn't have a functioning border patrol a couple of years ago.

Airports are not closed, Air France is still flying in/out of Paris.

You are right, FR shows some planes landing others just departed.

With the military, from what I'm gathering.

Appears like the French military got fully mobilized. So I'd agree, military checkpoints at the borders seems plausible. They've certainly been setting up checkpoints all around Paris.

Borders = streets, airport, train. You can't control the physical "green borders" in Schengen

There are still checkpoints at every major road crossing any border. Usually they are empty, but now the French Customs will be checking every car.

They will likely be similar military/Customs presence at checkin for any international train or flight.

Just roadblocks. Noting fancy for temporary and emergency.

It's possible even with Schengen. A clause in the Schengen convention (in article 2.2) authorizes states to reinstate border checks in exceptional circumstances.

> Where there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security, these countries may exceptionally reintroduce border controls at its internal borders for a period of no more than 30 days (possible to prolong under conditions established by the code) or for the foreseeable duration of the serious threat. This action should be seen as a last resort.

source: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:l...

France was actually going to reinstate some border checks from November 13 to December 13 for the COP21.

No, I get that it's legal. But there's no... border. In the map link I posted, you wouldn't be able to tell half of the satellite view was Belgium without Google telling you that's the case.

How do you close that down, especially in the middle of the night? The US can't even do it in places with a wall.

I agree that closing all borders physically would be tough. There would be controls on the roads and airports, but in the zone you posted a physical wall is required to isolate two countries.

Presumably you close this border like every border: by placing guards wherever lines of transportation (e.g. roads) cross it. Yes, without a physical wall this means people can in principle walk across the border by passing through private property, forests, etc., but in practice this is very inefficient and conspicuous.

Every one of those roads would be posted in the past, I very much suspect they'll do the same thing now at least for a while. I've driven a lot in that region and there are a few hundred crossings in all, it's not at all like the Canadian-US border or something like that, closing it off is entirely possible.

Belgium is supposedly assisting https://twitter.com/MikeDorning/status/665317533143011328

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