Pubdate: Wed, 08 Aug 2001
Source: Daily Southtown (IL)
Copyright: 2001 Daily Southtown
Contact:  http://www.dailysouthtown.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/810
Author: Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press

RAVES A HEADACHE FOR FRENCH

PAULE, France - To the young, they are free-for-alls of drug-induced 
revelry and thumping techno beats in the bucolic French countryside. To 
President Jacques Chirac, they are a growing problem.

Rave parties, Dionysian fests involving abundant marijuana, heroin, cocaine 
and especially the designer drug ecstasy, have been around for about a 
decade in Europe. But now, with five rave-related deaths reported in a year 
and increasing property damage, they are drawing the attention of France's 
political establishment.

Some of the secretly organized parties draw tens of thousands from across 
Europe. Others are small regional affairs. But they all feature drugs, 
techno music and the open air.

Elsewhere in Europe, there are larger, much more organized and urban rave 
parties, such as Berlin's Love Parade, which drew at least 800,000 last 
month, and Zurich's Lake Parade, which drew 750,000. In France, raves 
typically take place in rural areas. News travels by word of mouth, and 
authorities are almost never forewarned.

Since July 2000, at least five people have died in connection with rave 
parties in France - two of drug overdoses, one who fell off a roof, one who 
fell into frigid water and one in a drug-related shooting. Last month, two 
women were raped at a rave in eastern France.

The political battle over the raves began in April when conservative 
lawmaker Thierry Mariani introduced a bill requiring organizers to give 
notice to authorities. Many ravers protested, saying spontaneity is an 
essential element.

Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin was unable to convince the leftist 
majority in the National Assembly to back the bill, which died last month.

But Chirac revived the issue, using his traditional July 14 television 
interview to say a new law might be needed - although he hoped it wouldn't 
be necessary.

Chirac cited raves that have caused damage to property, disturbed rural 
residents and led to injuries "without the least person held responsible."

Mariani estimates that in the first six months of the year, more than 730 
rave parties were held across France.

Last month, some 30,000 people, mostly in their 20s, traveled by car, 
camper, van or hitchhiking to a grass field near this Breton village. Many 
came from hundreds of miles away, including some from Britain.

The aim, said many, was to reaffirm their freedom, escape a world gone too 
commercial and flee a nightclub scene that has become stale or too expensive.

"We're young, we just want to party," said Noemie Dubourdieu, 21, of nearby 
Blougouvelin.

In France, raves are known both as "teknivals" - a fusion of techno and 
festival - and "free parties," in a reference to liberty and the fact that 
it costs nothing to attend.

The Paule rave drew people from a large nearby music festival and 
snowballed into a four-day, round-the-clock affair in a mud-covered pasture.

Attendees, many with pierced noses, dreadlocks and trendy hooded jackets, 
found out where to go by word of mouth. Many were angry that the government 
would consider clamping down on them.

"What makes them flip out is that they don't control us," said Fleur 
Dupleich, 23, a film student in Paris.

Residents were divided about the invasion. One man, who refused to give his 
name, stomped through the field with tears in his eyes, complaining about 
the mess and loud music. Others were more tolerant.

"They're not harming anybody," said Jean-Paul Bozec, 50, from the nearby 
town of Blouray. "Still, we would much rather coordinate with the 
organizers. We just don't know who they are."

There were no serious injuries. A Red Cross tent treated 670 people for 
cuts, minor burns or the effects of partying too hard.

While several ecologically-minded ravers led a nonstop cleanup effort at 
Paule, trash was spread all over. Regional official Jacques Garau said 200 
tons of garbage were cleared - mainly bottles, cans and food wrappers.

The Paule rave "was a real problem, like all raves," he said. "People 
entered by force, tore up fenceposts and ruined the field. It was a 
difficult sanitary situation."

But ultimately, it's the drugs that make raves what they are. Some are 
concerned about the implications.

"It's too bad. Some of these people are starting to use heroin at 17 or 18 
years old," said Guillaume Blin, 23, who said he was one of the few ravers 
not to use drugs. "They aren't going to go far in life."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens