Summary
On the picturesque banks of the Rhine, where the vibrant city of Strasbourg meets its German counterpart, Kehl, an echo of history reverberates as border controls make a surprising comeback. Since September 9th, a new chapter in cross-border life has begun at Drusenheim, a small town nestled in the Bas-Rhin region, infusing both routine commutes and casual strolls with uncertainty. Imagine the once seamless journey across the bridge now punctuated by the watchful gaze of border officers, standing as sentinels of a newly redefined frontier. For commuters like Thierry Hurstel, a border worker caught in the tides of bureaucracy, the questions swirl like leaves in the wind. “Will they stop every car? Just every second one?” he muses, caught between the mundane and the inexplicable. While the distant shadows of past tragedies loom large, sparking a sense of acceptance among many Alsatians, the effectiveness of these renewed measures raises a chorus of doubt. Faces in this tightly knit community reflect a blend of apprehension and resignation—”It gives me reassurance, yet it feels disheartening that it has come to this,” admits a local resident, her voice tinged with a bittersweet nostalgia for a time when borders were but a whisper. As the police presence thickens like fog rolling off the river, and identity checks unfold like the pages of a story long thought closed, the symbolic act of fencing off a once-open expanse resurrects memories of division, transforming a familiar landscape into a canvas of cautious interactions. What was once part of daily life now serves as a reminder of fragility, as the bridge straddling two nations becomes both a path and a barrier, marking a poignant moment in the ongoing dialogue between security and freedom.
Original Source: www.francetvinfo.fr
