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Champagne, lobsters and no masks: the secret restaurants of the elite in Paris

Police have launched an investigation into a documentary that revealed the existence of glittering private events, while the country is under strict restrictions.

Government ministers have denied that they took part in the same secret meals, in which meals were offered for hundreds of euros.

"Want people to feel at home"

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• France

• Paris

• Corona virus

IP

Tuesday, 06 April 2021, 11:43

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Restaurants in France have been closed since October.

A man walks past a cafe in Paris (Photo: Reuters)

French police have launched an investigation into a documentary that revealed the existence of "secret restaurants" for the Parisian elite, in violation of the country's strict Corona epidemic restrictions.

One of the organizers even claimed that some of the government ministers attended those secret culinary meetings, while the public and medical staff groaned under the closures and congestion in the hospitals.

Protests are planned today near one of those places, and anti-capitalist activists and critics of President Emanuel Macron posted a call on social media "Let's eat the rich."

The lawsuit is investigating a suspicion of life-threatening and undeclared work, and is trying to identify the organizers and participants in those lavish meals.

The film, which aired over the weekend on the M6 ​​network, documented a man who says he ate at two or three secret restaurants "with a few ministers".

The Paris prosecution said yesterday that the investigation is ongoing, despite reports that the same man has retracted his allegations.

The cabinet ministers denied that they were aware of any illegal activity on the part of their colleagues, and the interior minister asked the police to investigate the allegations.

The documentary about the secret restaurants

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The film was documented by hidden cameras that have been posted by the network in two private places in recent weeks - all at a time of new outbreaks of the plague across France, in parallel with tightening restrictions.

In one of the restaurants, waiters with white gloves presented menus with fixed prices, ranging from 160 to 490 euros per person.

Among the dishes offered to the participants were champagne, truffles with foie gras and lobster in ginger sauce.

One of the hosts said that guests do not wear masks, contrary to regulations, "because it is a private club. We want people to feel at home."

At another event, where a meal was offered at a price of 220 euros, the guests were dressed in fancy suits, kissed each other and laid out a red carpet.

Restaurants in France have been closed since October, and the country has entered into a new partial closure due to a new burden on intensive care units.

"It makes me sick. There's no point in going to work," said Michelle Pert, a nurse who provides home care to Corona patients in the town of Cray, north of Paris.

She noted that a secret restaurant in the town's workers' district had also recently closed.

"Let them go to restaurants," she told the Associated Press, but warned that no one, including senior officials, "has any special protection" against the virus.

Potential imprisonment and fines

Government spokesman Gabriel Atal said ministers had a "duty to act flawlessly and be exemplary".

He said Sunday that authorities have been investigating reports of underground parties and restaurants for months, and 200 suspects have been identified and face "heavy punishment."

When asked by the IP last month how many government officials were fined for violating corona restrictions, Prime Minister Jean Castex declined to give details, instead stating the number of fines handed out to the general public.

Those convicted of life-threatening offenses face a potential prison sentence and a fine of 15,000 euros, while participants themselves could face fines of 135 euros for breach of closure and another 135 euros for not wearing masks.

Yesterday the French health minister warned that the number of corona patients in the country’s intensive care units could reach the level of the first crisis a year ago.

France reported more coronary heart disease than any other European country, and one of the highest mortality rates in the world, with 96,650 deaths from the virus.

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