In Montpellier, the Karnaval des begeux went smoothly and without damage

• Six arrests took place during the Karnaval des gueux in Montpellier.
• However, we do not deplore clashes, degradations, or injured in the city center of the Hérault capital, unlike some previous editions.

This new edition of the “Karnaval des gueux” was particularly calm on Tuesday evening in Montpellier, in the Hérault. Festive, but calm. Banned by the town hall and the prefecture, which published two decrees, this event, which was initially only an Occitan carnival, had been the theater, in recent years, of multiple degradations in the city center, and clashes , sometimes violent, between participants and the police.

According to the prefecture, among the 200 to 300 people who defied the ban on assembling, 6 were arrested in the evening: 3 for "drunkenness on the public highway", 2 for "possession of narcotics", and 1 for " outrage ”. Thirty-seven were also fined for "participation in a prohibited demonstration". No injuries or damage are to be deplored in the badge.

"It was very well framed"

"It went very well because there was a strong presence of police and gendarmes, it was very well supervised, said Joseph Galera, police officer and spokesperson for the Alliance National Police union in Montpellier. And people have probably realized that it was better not to go there. In previous years, those who committed degradations and violence against colleagues were prosecuted. "

A participant, joined by 20 Minutes , for his part regrets such a police presence, which would have somewhat spoiled the party, Tuesday evening. "There was a pretty nice start to the carnival in Peyrou, with batucadas , people in disguise, a very good atmosphere, then the police arrived," he describes. The carnival moved, then it was "dammed, blocked by the police on each side. One of our comrades was fined € 135, while he was looking from afar. He was not even in disguise. ”

Urban atmosphere this evening at the Karnaval des Gueux, focused on the periphery of the shield despite the prohibitions, and under very high police protection 😈😎 pic.twitter.com/yKF5h4HrT7

#KarnavalDesGueux in #Montpellier, despite the prohibitions, the "karnavaliers" are on the street. The atmosphere is festive for the moment. pic.twitter.com/ggPYRv9FlX

During the evening, the security forces surrounded the last participants, who continued to dance, before the Karnaval des begeux ended. For the young man we interviewed, it is "scandalous". "We have the impression that everything that is not official is prohibited," he says. The Karnaval des begeux is a spontaneous, good-natured tradition, organized without institutions. This is what is disturbing, this spontaneity. As for the overflows of previous years, the young man assures him: these were "ancillary" events, on the sidelines of the parade.

#KarnavalDesGueux in #Montpellier, the "karnavaliers" dance in front of the police, no one can enter or leave. pic.twitter.com/2HCBky0RDp

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• Languedoc-Roussillon
• Montpellier
• Police
• Carnival