Apéro organisers must pay for help

LARGE outdoor drinks parties in towns and cities around France – a sweeping trend that claimed a life last month – will not be banned, says the government.

More than 60 apéros géants have been organised through social network Facebook since the first one in Calvados, Normandy, in March 2009.

However the phenomenon has been taken much more seriously following the death of a 21-year-old man at a gathering in Nantes last month.

The partygoer had drunk 12 glasses of whisky when he fell 20ft from a bridge, smashing his skull and chest. Another 72 people at the event were hospitalised with alcohol poisoning.

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said there were no plans to impose a blanket ban because “it’s not our intention to kill off these events”.

However he said it was essential that the organisers were aware of their responsibility to protect those who attend.

They must make a formal application to their préfecture confirming plans for the meet in advance – and may be expected to contribute to the paramedic costs.

Charente prefect Jacques Millon has sent a bill for e2,711 to the organiser of an apéro in Angoulême which attracted 1,000 people. No major incidents were reported on the night, although one person was sent to hospital after drinking too much.

“The organiser accepted his responsibility and I warned him that he would be liable for the costs,” Mr Millon said.

“He is an unemployed lorry driver who can’t afford to pay so one of his friends has launched an appeal on Facebook and people’s solidarity is proving strong.

“If we had sent him a bill for the full costs, including the police, it would have been much higher.

“The policing side of it is part of our public service duty but there is no reason why charities like the Croix Rouge should be left out of pocket.”

Nantes public prosecutor Xavier Ronsin said he would not seek criminal charges against the organiser of the apéro géant where the death was recorded.

However he called for organisers to stop trying to compete with each other to put on the biggest event in France.

“I don’t understand where the glory is in this,” he said. “What’s the next target? Two dead people and even more cases of alcohol poisoning?”

Carcassonne is planning an apéro this summer and wants to play by the rules, becoming a “pilot town” for others to follow.

Christophe Klouchi, the owner of an online marketing company and one of the organisers of the Carcassonne meet said: “We want to work closely with the authorities.

“We’re putting together the dossier at the moment, taking photos of possible locations.

“We want to create a family-friendly environment.

“Maybe we’ll hold it on a Sunday afternoon in June.”