The French government is reportedly under fire for a $20 million, anti-terror plan to build an 8.2-foot-high, bulletproof glass wall around the base of the Eiffel Tower.
"It's pure madness!" Bernard Thiebaut, a retired electrical engineer who lives in Paris, said of the wall, USA Today reported.
"It's not just a physical barrier, it's also a philosophical and a psychological barrier."
The plan got the green light last month by the Paris City Council and is set to go up in the fall.
"The terror threat remains high in Paris and the most vulnerable sites, led by the Eiffel Tower, must be the object of special security measures," Deputy Mayor Jean-Francois Martins said, USA Today reported.
The tower draws six million visitors a year, USA Today reported.
Critics complain the wall could further hurt tourism that is already in a slump after a series of terror attacks.
"We're very aware that it's a potential target for terrorists here, because it's such an iconic place, so you feel a little bit nervous," Alison Bell, who was at a security check to get inside the tower, told USA Today.
But Canadian tourist Vanita Minhas said the wall might make the City of Light landmark look more like a fortress.
"I don't think it would look that nice," she told USA Today. "It won't make the Eiffel Tower seem as special or as unique if they are trying to keep everybody out."
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