Thousands gather for a carnival in Marseille, breaking Covid health restrictions

More than 6,000 mostly unmasked people took part in an illegal street party in the southern French city of Marseille at the weekend, leading to condemnation of an "unaccceptable" breach of Covid-19 rules.

Thousands of people enjoy an improvised and unauthorised carnival on Canebiere Street in Marseille, southern France, on 21 March, 2021. © AFP/Christophe Simon

The carnival-type gathering in the port city drew mostly young people, many of whom expressed frustration at restrictions on gatherings and the closure of bars and nightclubs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Marseille was not among the 16 different regions which entered a fresh lockdown on Saturday, with its current caseload lower than national hotspots such as nearby city Nice along the Mediterranean coast or the capital region.

"It's completely unacceptable at a time when all of us are making efforts, are adapting and organising ourselves to respect the different rules in order to fight against the pandemic," interior ministry spokeswoman Camille Chaize told France Info radio on Monday.

Nine people had been arrested and dozens had been fined, she said.

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The mayor of Marseille Benoit Payan said he was "outraged" by the event, adding on Twitter: "Nothing justifies that we undermine our collective efforts to keep the virus at bay."

The president of the Provence-Alpes-Côtes-d'Azur region Renaud Muselier also expressed his condemnation of the improvised street party.

En pleine crise sanitaire, après une année de combat pour nos soignants face au #COVID19, les images de ce #carnaval de #Marseille sont une honte !
L’impatience du retour à la vie n’excuse pas l’inconscience - une telle mise en danger des autres n’est pas acceptable ! pic.twitter.com/R51vgCfs3a

— Renaud Muselier (@RenaudMuselier) March 21, 2021

"In the middle of a health crisis, after a year-long fight by our health workers faced with Covid-19, the images coming out of the Marseille carnival are shameful," he wrote on Twitter, adding a video clip showing the scenes.

The impatience to return to a normal life doesn't excuse these careless actions - putting other people's lives in danger is not acceptable!" 

The French government introduced a limited lockdown on Saturday for around a third of the population, with all non-essential shops shut and travel banned in these zones, but schools are open and people are allowed to leave their homes at will within a 10 kilometre radius.

Over the New Year period, around 2,500 young people broke a national curfew to attend an illegal rave in northwest France which embarrassed the government and led to questions as to why the police had not stopped the party which went on for two days.

(with AFP)