Mass rave during pandemic leaves questions for French police

Rennes, France, : The sight of French police standing by as 2,500 people broke a national curfew to attend an illegal rave has embarrassed the government and led to questions as to why the partying was allowed to continue for two nights.

The event began on New Year’s Eve last Thursday at two disused hangars in a rural area of France’s northwestern Brittany region and had become a major international news story by the following day.

But it took until Saturday morning, more than 36 hours after techno music first began blaring from the banks of speakers, before police entered the premises and began confiscating material and cautioning participants.