The Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak spent the evening of Saturday June 25 at Hellfest.
Black blazer, impeccable brushing and small glasses, it stands out alongside hundreds of t-shirts printed with skulls.
She wanted to join the party to
"support and recognize the importance"
of the
"biggest festival in France",
she explained.
With, exceptionally this year, two extended weekends of concerts, the organizers have
"doubled down",
recognizes the minister.
Guns N' Roses fan
She attended the Guns N'Roses concert,
"the first concert of my life, at 14, it was them at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon where I lived,"
said the minister.
The opportunity for her to see them a second time 29 years later.
“I hesitated between Metallica and Guns N'Roses”,
but
“I really wanted to relive the vibrations of my youth”,
explained Rima Abdul Malak, accompanied by Ben Barbaud, co-founder of the festival.
Covid, injections and sexual assault
Asked about the resumption of the Covid-19 epidemic, the minister wants to be reassuring for the rest of the festivals planned for this summer in France and does not intend to
“reduce the gauges”
.
Rima Abdul Malak advises, however, to be
"very vigilant, wash your hands, resume barrier gestures (...), test yourself every time you have a doubt"
.
Read alsoCovid: the Minister of Culture confident for the festivals this summer
Another thorny subject, complaints for "wild" bites in nightclubs, bars and festivals, particularly present in the Nantes region, are more and more numerous.
“This phenomenon worried me a great deal,”
explained the minister.
"In reality, it's really a mystery, there is a phenomenon of psychosis more than a real phenomenon,"
she said.
At Hellfest, no cases were identified.
Read also1098 victims of “wild” stings: what the internal police document reveals
These bites raise many questions, despite initial investigations, no substance has been found.
“It would seem, again, it is conditional because it is very mysterious, that it started from a challenge on social networks.
Let's not give in to psychosis,”
explains the new tenant on rue de Valois.
Rima Abdul Malak also spoke about the Hellwatch device and the Safer application, set up for the first time by the festival.
It is a question of preventing any inappropriate sexual or sexist behavior on places of festive gatherings,
"so that all the women who come here feel safe",
affirms the minister who was pleased with the success of this edition of the Hellfest which attracted more than 420,000 spectators.
Read alsoAt Hellfest, a marauding of volunteers against sexual violence