PARIS – French police tested their security plans for the Olympic torch relay on March 22, with a multi-layered ring of 100 officers set to be deployed to keep protesters at bay.

Authorities are nervous about the potential for disruption of the relay, which will begin once the flame arrives in Marseille on May 8 ahead of the start of the Games on July 26.

Environmental groups such as Extinction Rebellion, anarchist networks or pro-Palestinian demonstrators are seen as potential risks, while the security forces remain on high alert for terror attacks.