Violence as French police break up illegal NYE rave party in Brittany

Police reinforcements were sent in to disperse an illegal New Year’s Eve rave party in the French region of Brittany, where some 2,000 people had gathered in defiance of strict curfew rules.

Several clandestine rave parties have been held in France despite coronavirus restrictions. AFP - DAPHNE ROUSSEAU

Three gendarmes were injured after being hit by projectiles, and a gendarmerie vehicle was set on fire as the officers tried to prevent the party, south of Rennes, from going ahead. 

The partygoers, described as "very determined" according to a police source quoted by BFMTV, had settled in unused hangars of a transport company in the suburb of Lieuron.

Les images de la rave-party géante toujours en cours à Lieuron en Bretagne pic.twitter.com/zsJCh7eWDl

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) January 1, 2021

A video shared on social media shows hundreds of young people enjoying themselves without respect for barrier measures.

More than 100,000 policemen and gendarmes had been mobilised Thursday night but, despite firm warnings from Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin that clandestine parties would not be tolerated, several such events were reported.

They included a party of 200 people in Moselle, in south-east France, and a party of 300 people in the southern city of Marseille.

Read more:

• Illegal NYE rave party near Rennes finally ends, 1,200 fined