Several people injured – one losing a hand – as French police break up illegal rave
- Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, who defied an 11pm coronavirus curfew on Friday and stayed into Saturday afternoon at a racecourse in Brittany
- Five men were detained on Saturday and police opened an inquiry into violence against people in positions of public authority
Five police officers were injured overnight in western France as they broke up a 1,500-strong illegal rave, authorities said on Saturday, with one partygoer losing a hand in the clashes.
Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, who defied an 11pm coronavirus curfew on Friday and just stayed on into Saturday afternoon at a racecourse near Redon in Brittany.
There were “very violent clashes” when 400 police intervened, local prefect Emmanuel Berthier said, adding the violence lasted more than seven hours through the night.
“An evacuation operation is under way at the site,” the prefecture tweeted later.
Police detained five men on Saturday and opened an inquiry into violence against people in positions of public authority.
Two of the five injured police officers had to be taken to the hospital in Redon, Berthier said.
He said the “people had an objective, to confront the forces of public order”.
A police officer said it was not usual for people to bring the metal balls used in the French sport of boules or petanque to a rave.