Scandal in France after a party with thousands of people at a military training ground. Announcement of the Minister of the Interior

The French interior minister said on Sunday that the government would try to “repress more effectively” the illegal parties, after the event organized this weekend in the area of ​​a shooting range near the town of Borges, according to AFP.

The unauthorized rave, which began on Friday, drew up to 40,000 people from France and neighboring countries, according to organizers. The interior minister says the attendance was actually 17,000.

French officials had warned that such gatherings at a military location were dangerous, given the risk of explosions from old World War II-era munitions.

However, the organizers of the event claim that they chose the training ground near Borges, the hometown of Minister Nunez, on purpose, as a form of protest against the proposed legislation to increase the penalties for unauthorized parties and those who participate in such events.

“Sanctions must be toughened”

On Sunday, Minister Laurent Nunez flew over the event area by helicopter and talked with the locals.

In a press statement, the official said the defiant attitude of the organizers only strengthened his resolve to ban such events.

“To make sure this doesn't happen again, penalties need to be toughened,” he said, noting that 600 fines had already been issued.

Those who attended the party will be fined for entering a military site and for participating in an illegal assembly, the French interior minister said.

Anti-rave bill

In April, the lower house of the French parliament approved a bill that introduces prison terms of up to six months for anyone who plays a direct or indirect role in organizing or facilitating an unauthorized or banned rave.

Participation in the organization of such an event is defined broadly, extending to “dissemination of practical information”.

The minister said authorities observed 337 illegal music events in 2025. They usually had around 300 participants, but 4% of them attracted crowds of more than 1,000 people, Laurent Nunez said.

No major incidents were reported near Bourges. Bomb disposal experts had to intervene after a shell was found near a road running through the party venue.