France: end of a wild party that brought together 2,500 people despite the epidemic
The gendarmes took control, around 10:15 a.m. on January 2, 2020, of a hangar in Lieuron, in western France, where an illegal rave party had been held since New Year's Eve.
AFP - JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
No more sound and cars leaving.
The wild rave party that ended this Saturday morning January 2, had been going on since New Years Eve.
About 2,500 people gathered in Lieuron, in western France, despite the threat of a new outbreak of Covid-19 in that country.
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During the night from Friday to Saturday, the sound of techno which had been ringing since Thursday evening, December 31 in two sheds transformed into a wild nightclub, was silenced.
In the early morning, from 5.30 am according to the prefecture of Ille-et-Vilaine, the first revelers slowly began to leave Lieuron, this small hamlet in the Breton countryside.
“
At 10:15 am on January 2, the site is under the control of the police.
More than 800 verbalizations made,
”tweeted the prefecture.
The verbalizations are in particular for "
non respect of the curfew, non wearing of the mask and illegal participation in a rally
".
These figures should increase because 400 people are still subject to checks, added the prefect.
“
Truck, sound equipment and generators were seized from the location of the illegal #raveparty.
The investigation is continuing and the gendarmes are continuing their investigations and checks so that this illicit event is severely punished,
”tweeted, for his part, on Saturday morning the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin.
Truck, sound equipment and generators were seized from the location of the illegal #raveparty.
The investigation is continuing and the gendarmes are continuing their investigations and checks so that this illicit event is severely punished.
- Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) January 2, 2021
The police, positioned since Thursday evening on the axes of access to the site, proceeded Saturday morning to the systematic control of all those who left the perimeter, on foot or by car, noted an AFP photographer.
The people checked were notably questioned about taking narcotics, and their ocular sensitivity checked with a lamp.
Checks that can last ten minutes.
"
Restoration of a normal situation
"
The party took place in two disused hangars, with two different atmospheres available to the “teufeurs”, from France and abroad.
Gérald Darmanin had convened Friday evening in Beauvau a meeting on this rave with the prefect and members of the cabinet in order to achieve "
the restoration of a normal situation
", he wrote on his Twitter account.
Gendarmerie reinforcements arrived on site on Saturday morning.
In numbers, they gradually tightened the device around the place of the party.
Arrived in the hangars, the police woke up the last revelers and gathered them to control them, all in peace.
Thursday evening, the gendarmes had tried in vain "
to prevent this installation and faced the violent hostility of many chirkers
", explained the prefecture of Ille-et-Vilaine on Friday.
During these clashes "
a vehicle of the gendarmerie was set on fire, three other degraded and the soldiers wiped bottles and stones, causing slight injuries
", according to the same source.
Open investigation
Unable to prevent the holding of this wild party, the prefecture had deployed the gendarmes around the party.
Rescuers had come on site to distribute gel and masks "in
order to limit the risk of the virus spreading within the gathering
" banned by prefectural decree.
On the judicial side, an investigation was opened for "
unlawful organization of a festive musical gathering
", "
willful violence against persons holding public authority
", "
degradation of the property of others in a meeting
" or even "
hidden work
","
Unlawful keeping of a liquor store
"and"
infringements of the legislation on narcotic drugs and in particular the facilitation of use
".
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