Pubdate: Wed, 08 Aug 2001
Source: Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
Copyright: 2001 The Salt Lake Tribune
Contact:  http://www.sltrib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/383
Author: Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press

FRANCE MAY PUT FOOT DOWN ON YOUTH RAVE PARTIES

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.

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, typical 
raves 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.

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.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom