Sawt Falasteen - Illegal party at French military site draws up to 40,000 ravers

Thumping techno music echoed across a vast firing range near the central French town of Bourges as revellers -- many dressed in brightly coloured outfits, others shirtless -- assembled for the unauthorised event, known as a "free party", which began on Friday.

Behind them, tents and vans stretched across the grassy field.

Authorities had estimated attendance at 20,000 on Saturday morning, but more ravers arrived during the day and Tekno Anti Rep, a free party support network present at the site, told AFP the total was between 35,000 and 40,000 by the evening.

Bomb disposal experts had to intervene after a shell was discovered near a road passsing through the party site, the local officials said.

The gathering comes as the French parliament is seeking to tighten legislation against unauthorised rave parties, introducing prison sentences for organisers and fines for attendees.

"Despite its illegal nature, the government has mobilised to ensure the safety of this event and limit any disturbances," the prefecture said.

Philippe Le Moing Surzur, the local prefect, said the site was "extremely dangerous due to the unexploded ordnance it may contain".

While modern shells posed no threat, he warned of the risk from older unexploded ordnance dating back to World War II.

- Old artillery shells -

He said that even the France's Directorate General of Armaments, which owns the land, did not have precise knowledge of the risks.

"This is a site that has been in use for 150 years, and we know there are potentially old artillery shells there," he said, adding that bomb disposal experts discover them regularly.

The firing range covers 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) and is crisscrossed by roads that are closed during tests but open to the public at other times.

Signs prohibit access to the range itself, but it is not fenced off.

The organisers have urged attendees to refrain from lighting fires, digging or picking up any objects.

The local mayor's office said residents and partygoers were getting on well.

"For once there's something going on, make the most of it!" Paulette, 64, who lives in the village nearby and declined to give her family name, told AFP.

Emergency services treated 12 people with minor injuries Saturday morning.

The prefect said one person had been struck by a vehicle, and a number of the injured people had cut themselves while handling sharp shrapnel.

Revellers see the giant party not only as a chance to unwind, but also as a protest against the rave-curbing legislation.

"It's a way of showing that participants are mobilised and will keep coming, whatever happens, and will continue to challenge these laws," a member of the Tekno Anti Rep collective told AFP.

- 'Message against repression' -

A free party is usually an illegal form of rave rooted in anti-establishment culture.

They are held without permission in remote locations, and admission is free or by donation.

"I had heard there were going to be a lot of people, but once you're there, it's still a shock to see so many people gathered in one place," said one 22-year-old man, who did not want to be named.

Another partygoer, 19, also anonymous, said the turnout was "a strong message against repression".

Around 600 police and 45 firefighters were deployed at the site.

"We're getting ready for a big get-together tonight," said Edith Raquin, the mayor of Cornusse, a village of 220 people located less than two kilometres (about one mile) from the site.

She said that the revellers came across as "peaceful people" and some elderly residents were "delighted" to talk with them.

"They are polite, they say hello," Raquin said.

I.Matar--SF-PST