‘Break free’: Hundreds romp at secret rave in France amid strict lockdowns

On a darkened residential street in Paris, a gate left partly open signals the entrance to an abandoned train tunnel — and an illegal rave party for 300 people looking for an escape from France’s Covid-19 lockdown.

The attendees poured into the venue in the dark, the cobbled tracks lit only by their phones.

The 15-euro ($18) tickets for the Saturday soirée, “I Want to Break Free,” were sold to the members of a private Facebook group, and snatched up within hours.

But the address in the 13th Arrondissement was kept secret until the last minute, and the rules were strict: arrive alone or in groups of two or three maximum, between 8:00 and 9:00 pm.

Pulsing techno music beckoned from a vast underground cavern some 20 metres (65 feet) high, flashing neon as the psychedelic projections danced across the walls.

Dancers swarmed the dusty floor complete with a DJ stage and a bar.

“We decided to mount a resistance and issue this call to hide together and party because there’s no longer any place for young people to be together,” says the 27-year-old organiser, who declined to give his real name but asked to be called “Alexandre” by AFP.

“We know how to do this now — In less than two hours we can set up anywhere and have a very private party like this,” he said.

If caught, Alexandre could be fined up to 15,000 euros on charges of reckless endangerment.

Seated on tracks that vibrated from the blaring speakers, Ivan, 23, and his girlfriend watched as people poured in, the majority without face masks.

“I just got my first job, a permanent contract, and I’ve been working a lot so I really needed to blow off some steam,” he said.

“The lockdown has knocked my life out of balance, I haven’t left my apartment in a month — this party is necessary for my mental health.”

The sentiment is apparently widespread, since French police have had to crack down on dozens of illegal parties since the partial lockdown was announced in October to combat a new surge in coronavirus cases.

On Sunday, police shut down a party at a private home in Joinville-Le-Pont, just west of Paris, and issued fines to around 15 people for flouting the lockdown, a source close to the inquiry told reporters.

But no officers showed up to shut down the Paris party on Sunday.

[Sourced from AFP]