Alan C. Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Barack Obama's first visit to Brussels to cost Belgium more than €10m As Belgium's capital and host to the EU and Nato, Brussels is used to deploying heavy security when big names pop by. But US President Barack Obama's visit on Tuesday will strain the city like never before with €10m ($10.4m, £8.4m) of Belgian money being spent to cover his 24 hours in the country.The president will arrive on Tuesday night with a 900-strong entourage, including 45 vehicles and three cargo planes. Advance security teams orchestrating every last detail have combed Brussels already, checking the sewers and the major hospitals, while American military helicopters were last week given the green light for overflights. The city hosts at least four EU summits a year, with each of these gatherings costing €500,000 in extra police, military and transport expenses. "But this time round, you can multiply that figure by 20," said Brussels mayor, Yvan Mayeur.The city's four-stage security scale will be raised from two to three during the visit, Obama's first to the country. A tight cordon will surround The Hotel, the 27-storey former Hilton in the Toison d'Or shopping district where the president will spend the night.Belgium itself is mobilising 350 police and military on motorbikes to secure the president's routes to EU and Nato summits on Wednesday, while a convoy of nine US helicopters will take Obama to an American first world war cemetery.After landing at Wevelgem aerodrome, a phalanx of 30 armoured cars will take Obama to the cemetery where – accompanied by Belgium's King Philippe and Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo – he will tour the battlefield and lay a wreath. It's good to be the king.
dsayers Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Even before I had philosophy eyes, I was always disgusted the amount of wasted wealth goes into protecting "royalty." A 900 person detail? Here's an idea: Don't spy on people, say it's okay to torture and murder people, and don't drone children and people you THINK are bad guys (and the innocents standing next to them), and then you won't have to have 900 people protecting you. *I* don't need that many people employed to protect me. Maybe he could learn from me.
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