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French police detained five people on Saturday in an investigation into a clandestine New Year’s Eve rave that drew at least 2,500 people in western France despite a coronavirus curfew and other restrictions.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted that police actions at the Lieuron site in Brittany “led to the end of the illegal nonviolent party” on Saturday morning, 36 hours after it began.
Uncredited / AP
This photo provided on Saturday, January 2, 2021 by the Techno + Association shows a tent during a rave party in Lieuron, France, as raves from France and abroad converged on a hangar on Thursday night to celebrate the New Year.
He said that a judicial investigation was opened to identify and prosecute the organizers.
Prefect Emmanuel Berthier, the head of the local state authority, told a news conference Saturday that police officers issued at least 1,200 fines, including 800 under virus-related rules for not respecting the curfew, not wearing a mask and illegally participating in a meeting. .
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Hundreds of people were also fined for using illicit drugs and stereos and power generators were seized, Berthier said.
Ravers from France and abroad gathered in a hangar in Lieuron on Thursday night to celebrate the New Year.
Authorities said the rioters attacked police the first night, setting a police vehicle on fire and slightly wounding three officers with discharges of bottles and stones.
Video footage showed truck and car lines of ravers leaving on Saturday morning.
The party was held despite France’s nightly curfew, which seeks to dissuade people from gathering during the pandemic.
The Techno + aid group distributed masks, anti-virus gel and health tips within the party.
A volunteer there, who only gave her name as Ombline, said the pandemic has been very hard on young people and that something positive was needed to combat the depression many face.
Britain’s Regional Health Agency warned that party goers were at high risk of spreading the virus and urged participants to self-isolate for a week and get tested in seven days.
France has reported more than 64,000 deaths related to the virus.
