An illegal rave that drew more than 2,500 people to a warehouse in western France on New Year’s Eve and continued until the weekend was detonated by police on Saturday in violation of coronavirus restrictions.
Police in Lieuron, about 38 kilometers south of Rennes, arrested at least seven people – including two who organized the rave inside a hangar that lasted more than 36 hours.
Participants reportedly clashed with police officers as they tried to end the event on Saturday morning.
People dance during a party near a disabled hangar in Lieuron some 40 km (about 24 miles) south of Rennes, on January 1, 2021. – A wild party that started on the night of December 31 in Lieuron , still on January 1 gathered around 2,500 participants “from different departments and from abroad”, informs a statement from the prefecture of Ille-et-Vilaine. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP) (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP via Getty Images)
The police arrested the organizers on a series of charges after police found money, illicit drugs and sound equipment. Another five people were arrested on drug charges.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter that more than 1,200 fines were issued for failure to comply with the coronavirus curfew.
Participants told authorities that people from Spain and the UK participated in the festivities, according to Al Jazeera.
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Prosecutor Phillipe Astruc said an investigation was opened for “putting other people’s lives in danger”, “deliberate violence” against the police and drug-related crimes. The researchers found that the organizers asked for a financial contribution to attend the party and that illicit drugs were plentiful, Astruc said.
Participants allegedly set fire to a police car and injured three policemen with projectiles during attempts to end the event.
This photo provided on Saturday, January 2, 2021 by the Techno + Association shows a tent during a rave party in Lieuron, France, as ravers from France and abroad converged on a hangar on Thursday night to celebrate the New Year. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Saturday, January 2, 2021, a judicial investigation was opened to identify and prosecute the organizers of a clandestine party that drew at least 2,500 people in western France, despite the ringing of collect amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Techno + via AP)
One of the rave organizers, identified only as “Jo”, admitted that “few respected social distance” at the event, according to Sky News.
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People were supposed to be sleeping in their cars instead of going home while the rave went on.
The Brittany Regional Health Agency warned that partygoers were at high risk of spreading the virus and asked participants to isolate themselves for a week and do a test in seven days.
France has reported more than 64,000 deaths related to the virus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.