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'''''Tom Bell''''' (born [[August 2]], [[1933]] in [[Liverpool]], England) is a British actor from stage, movies and television.
'''Vigipirate''', ("plan Vigipirate" in [[French]]), is France's national security alert system. Created in [[1978]] by President [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]], it has since been activated three times: in [[1995]] (following an [[1995 Islamist terror bombings in France|Islamist terror bombing campaign]]), [[2000]], and [[2003]].
He is dark-haired, lean and often angry-looking.
The system defines four levels of threats represented by four colors: yellow, orange, red, crimson.
As a child he was evacuated during the wartime in Liverpool and he had to live in three different families in the [[Morecambe]] area.
The system calls for specific security measures, including increased police or police/military mixed patrols in subways, train stations and other vulnerable locations.
In 1948 at age 15 Tom Bell began to play in his first school plays and though he has never dominated the play he demonstrated that he had good actor qualities. He made his first movie appearances in the 1960s in so-called [[Kitchen Sink Drama | kitchen sink dramas]] like "The Kitchen" or the [[The L-Shaped Room]].
== Levels of alert ==
In 1978 he came to worldwide fame by portraying [[Adolf Eichmann]] in the [[Emmy | Emmy-winning]] tv-series Holocaust.
{| border="0" width="75%" align="center" style="border: 1px solid #999; background-color:#EEEEEE"
|-align="center" bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!colspan="2"|<font size="4" color="white">Levels of alert for "Plan Vigipirate"
|-
!bgcolor="yellow" colspan="2"|Yellow level
|-
|||Raise security levels to face real yet still uncertain dangers, through measures that are local and minimally disruptive of normal activity, while preparing to switch to "orange" or "red" within a few days.
|-style="background-color: orange"
!colspan="2"|Orange level
|-
|||Take measures against plausible risks of terrorist action, including the use of means that are moderately disruptive to normal public activities, while preparing to switch to "red" or "crimson" on short notice where possible.
|-bgcolor="red"
!colspan="2"|Red level
|-
|||Take measures against a proven risk of one or more terrorist actions, including measures to protect public institutions and putting in place appropriate means for rescue and response, authorizing a significant level of disruption to social and economic activity.
|-bgcolor="#cc0088"
!colspan="2"|Crimson level
|-
|||Notification of a risk of major attacks, simultaneous or otherwise, using non-conventional means and causing major devastation; preparing appropriate means of rescue and response, measures that are highly disruptive to public life are authorized.
|}
==Filmography==
== Assessing situations and applicable measures ==
Specialised services assess threats on a schedule dependant on national and international circumstances. Those services propose changes to the alert level to the [[President of the French Republic|President of the Republic]] and to the [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]], who have the authority to trigger "Plan Vigipirate" and decide on an appropriate alert level. The relevant monitoring, prevention and protection measures are then implemented by the appropriate authorities: national and local government agencies, the [[SNCF]], [[RATP]], affected airports, etc.
===Movies (selected)===
When the Vigipirate plan is active with respect to terror bombings, the following measures are activated:
* Certain public trashcans are removed, or sealed. Typically, they are replaced by low cardboard boxes, or transparent bags. This makes hiding a bomb more difficult, and also reduces opportunities for the container becoming [[shrapnel]].
* Patrols of [[French National Police|police]] or [[French Gendarmerie|gendarmerie]] officers, or mixed patrols consisting of police or gendarmerie law-enforcement officers and military troops, circulate in sensitive areas (subways such as the [[Paris Métro]], train stations, airports). Visitors may be surprised at the sight of soldiers carrying [[FAMAS]] assault rifles; however, the rifles are not loaded, and soldiers may not even carry ammunition. The decision to fire is taken by the law enforcement officer. There has been so far one occasion where a soldier has fired his weapons. Military personnel in such patrols is generally from the [[French Army|Army]], though patrols in airports may use fusiliers from the [[French Air Force|Air Force]].
*1960: [[The Kitchen (1960 movie) | The Kitchen]] Paul
The new version of "Plan Vigipirate" is more versatile than the previous one. It is the framework for other more specific rescue or intervention plans, with names like [[Biotox]], [[Piratox]] or [[Piratome]], depending on the type of threat expected.
*1962: [[The L-Shaped Room]] Toby
*1965: [[He Who Rides a Tiger]] Peter Rayston
*1968: [[The Long Day's Dying]] Tom Cooper
*1971: [[Quest for Love]] Colin Trafford
*1975: [[Royal Flash]] De Gautet
*1987: [[Wish You Were Here]] Eric
*1990: [[The Krays (film) | The Krays]] Jack 'The Hat' McVitie
*1991: [[Prospero's Books]] Antonio
*1997: [[Preaching to the Perverted]] Henry Harding MP
===Television (selected)===
The plan relies on joint participation and the reinforcement of a culture of security in all the plan's agents. It advances the principle of shared responsibility: each agent must take into account the risks involved, from individual citizens to goverment agencies specifically charged with anti-terrorism activities. Surveillance must be continuous and security teams must constantly be formed and trained.
*1972: [[Hedda Gabler]] Eilert Lovborg
== History of alert levels ==
*1978: [[Holocaust]] (tv series) Adolf Eichmann
==References==
{| border="0"
| align="right" | [[26 January]] [[2004]]
| bgcolor="yellow" | Yellow level
|
|-
| align="right" | [[12 March]] [[2004]]
| bgcolor="red" | Red level
| Only affecting road and rail transport, due to the [[11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings|bombing of trains in Madrid on the 11th of March 2004]]
|-
| align="right" | [[24 May]] [[2004]]
| bgcolor="red" | Red level
|
|-
| align="right" | [[8 June]] [[2004]]
| bgcolor="orange" | Orange level
|
|-
| align="right" | [[8 July]] [[2004]]
| bgcolor="orange" | Orange level
|
|-
| align="right" | [[7 July]] [[2005]]
| bgcolor="red" | Red level
| Due to the [[7_July_2005_London_bombings|bombing of metros in London on the 7th of July 2005]]
|}
*[[1991]] Quinlans Illustrated Directory of Film Stars by David Quinlan, B.T. Batsford Limited - London, (eng) ISBN 0-7134-6324-4
After the [[11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings|bombing of trains in Madrid on the 11th of March 2004]], the Vigipirate alert level rose first to "orange" and then to "red" for all [[SNCF]] railway stations. It was also elevated to red after the [[7_July_2005_London_bombings|bombing of metros in London on the 7th of July 2005]] by [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]] [[Dominique de Villepin]].
==Website Trivia Links==
Opponents of the plan derisively call it "Plan Vichypirate", in reference to the [[Vichy regime]], because of its influence on citizens' privacy.
* {{imdb name|id=0068552|name=Tom Bell}}
== External links ==
*[http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr Web site of the Prime Minister].
{{UK-actor-stub}}
[[Category:1933 births|Bell (actor), Tom]]
[[Category:British actors|Bell (actor), Tom]]
[[fr:plan Vigipirate]]
[[Category:Television actors|Bell (actor), Tom]]
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