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‘Needed to let loose’: Partying youths defy Paris police for third night running

Paris police said Sunday that three people were detained after officers used tear gas to disperse hundreds of youths gathered for a street party in defiance of Covid social distancing limits and an 11:00 pm curfew.

Published: 13 June 2021 17:18 CEST
'Needed to let loose': Partying youths defy Paris police for third night running
Police cars are seen next to the Invalides metro station in Paris early on June 12, 2021. Credit: GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP

The so-called Project X gathering on Saturday, a reference to an American film from 2012, on the vast lawns in front of the Invalides war museum was the third party at the site since Thursday.

Videos on social media showed largely maskless youths surrounding a car and then climbing and jumping on its roof, while others bombarded police vans with bottles.

Other mass parties were broken up after midnight in the Tuileries gardens near the Louvre and on the banks of the Seine river, police said, as people enjoying warm evenings outside found it difficult to respect the coronavirus curfew.

Many bars across the city remained open after 11:00 pm over the weekend, the first since the curfew was pushed back from 9:00 pm last Wednesday, according to AFP reporters.

“We had our ‘bac’ [high school exit exam] this year and we really needed to let loose,” said Cedric, 17, who came with friends from the nearby 15th district of the capital.

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Officials have urged people to continue respecting social distancing limits as the country emerges from its third Covid lockdown.

Since Wednesday, bars and restaurants are allowed to serve patrons indoors for the first time since October, with a maximum of six people per table, and the government plans to drop the nationwide curfew entirely on June 30.

“I understand and obviously I share the desire of these youths and other people to get together again and have a good time,” said Marlene Schiappa, the minister in charge of citizenship.

“But the virus is still here, the pandemic still exists, and we need to respect the health rules,” which she told Europe 1 radio.

Health authorities reported 3,972 new cases over the previous 24 hours on Saturday, while the number of patients in intensive care fell to 2,110, far below the peak of nearly 6,000 during the third wave of cases that began in March.

Thirty-four deaths were reported, bringing the French total to 110,407.

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PARIS

Blades of Paris landmark Moulin Rouge windmill collapse

The blades of the Moulin Rouge windmill, one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, collapsed during the night, firefighters said on Thursday, just months before the French capital hosts the Olympics.

Published: 25 April 2024 08:07 CEST
Blades of Paris landmark Moulin Rouge windmill collapse

There was no risk of further collapse, Paris firefighters said. The reason for the accident was not yet known.

“Fortunately this happened after closing,” a Moulin Rouge official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“Every week, the  cabaret’s technical teams check the windmill mechanism and did not note any problems,” the source said, adding that there was no more information on the reason for the collapse.

“It’s the first time that an accident like this has happened since” the cabaret first opened its doors on October 6, 1889, the source said.

Images on social media showed the blade unit lying on the street below, with some of the blades slightly bent from the apparent fall.

The Moulin Rouge cabaret, with its distinctive red windmill blades, is located in northern Paris and is one of the most visited landmarks in the city.

Known as the birthplace of the modern dance form the can-can, it opened its doors in October 1889 at the foot of the Montmartre hill.

It quickly became a hit and a stop to look at its facade or catch a show inside is a must-do on most tourists’ lists of things to do in the French capital.

The accident will add to concerns of whether Paris, one of the most visited cities in the world, is ready to host the thousands more that will descent during July-August for the Olympic Games.

The only serious accident the landmark has endured was a fire that erupted during works in 1915, which forced the venue to close for nine years.

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