The festival raised questions, especially regarding the security of the Garonne beach. Commandant Moll representing the gendarmerie, Lieutenant Bouteleux from Sdis 47, Laurence Bayle from the interministerial service of defense and civil protection, and Lionel Léri, security coordinator, responded to them. They are accustomed to managing and improving security on this site for several years.
“The main enemy is the weather!” joked Gilles Van Kote. In ten years, there have been two storms and a heatwave. The public, on the other hand, is of good quality and respectful. “Is there a capacity limit?” asked the festival organizer. “The festival welcomes around 9,500 people over three days, with no incidents in the evening. It remains small to maintain the quality of exchanges, without a VIP zone,” said the journalist.
Invited “sensitive” guests
Two guests will be “sensitive,” but not “risky”: Dmitri Mouratov, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, tolerated by the Russian authorities and free to move around; and Coco, a press cartoonist and survivor of the “Charlie Hebdo” attack. Under police surveillance, she is accompanied by two officers.
Discussing one of the themes of this tenth edition, the director asked the festival organizer if a representative of the state would be willing to discuss illegal parties, the occupation of public spaces, security, and interactions with festival-goers. “I will relay it to the prefect,” she promised.
