A free party in Cerny, a gathering of around twenty cars in the Carrière car park in Cheptainville but also a clandestine party in Saint-Cyr-sous-Dourdan… In total, the gendarmes of Essonne fined more than 200 revelers last weekend.
What do all these gatherings have in common?
Their location in remote corners of the department.
Has the latter become the new refuge for party-goers in need of parties?
In Cerny, the gendarmes got their hands on generators, twelve light bars, seven gasoline cans, turntables and a "sound wall" made up of twelve speakers.
"The health context means that many young people lack social interactions," underlines Boris, from the Sound System collective in Ile-de-France.
We have seen it with Pierre-Jean Chalençon's dinners, like many French people, they simply want to get together with friends at a private party.
But when you live in a house of 20 square meters, it is impossible.
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To recreate this social bond, the organizers often set their sights on the greater crown. “It is in the south of Ile-de-France that we find the most land available, analyzes the representative of the collective. This is the reason why the south of Essonne, the south of Seine-et-Marne but also the west of Yvelines are often chosen by the organizers of free parties. There are large fields there, far from homes so as not to disturb. "
Boris insists on the difference between rave parties, close to the organization of a concert or a festival, and free parties which bring together a smaller audience.
“During a rave party, participants pay an entrance fee to remunerate the artists,” he continues.
On the other hand, for a free party, the participants pool together a sound system and party.
The sound system is much less imposing.
In Cerny for example, it was indeed this second scenario.
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458 verbalizations since the start of the year
By participating in these outdoor events after 7 p.m., the revelers were in violation and were fined 135 euros for breaching the curfew and participating in prohibited gatherings. The same qualifications were retained for the owners of the twenty vehicles assembled in Cheptainville.
Contacted, the prefecture of Essonne ensures that "the police have been mobilized since the start of the pandemic to enforce health regulations in the department".
“Since the beginning of the year, eleven clandestine parties have been interrupted by the intervention of the police, giving rise to 458 verbalizations, the placement in police custody of the organizers, as well as the seizure if necessary. material having been used to commit the offense ”, state the services of the State.
The police sometimes alerted by neighbors
These underground parties are not only organized by free party enthusiasts. In Ris-Orangis, on the night of April 4 to 5, members of the Travelers' community took over Château Lot for a gigantic party bringing together more than a hundred guests. Bothered by the noise, residents sounded the alarm. On the spot, the police officers proceeded to 123 verbalizations.
A few days earlier, 49 people were fined at the heart of the Pointe à Palaiseau battery, a vestige of the fort erected in the 19th century. Here again, it was the noise caused by the participants that had prompted residents to dial the 17th. “The fight against these prohibited gatherings is part of the reinforced controls intended to enforce the measures in force, with an effort particular between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., concludes the prefecture. In addition to the initiative checks, it is sometimes the residents who are victims of nightly noise who notify the police, making it possible to put an end to the nuisances. "