More than 6,000 mostly unmasked people took part in an illegal street party in the southern French city of Marseille at the weekend, leading to condemnation of an "unaccceptable" breach of Covid-19 rules, reports Radio France Internationale (RFI).
The carnival-type gathering in the port city drew mostly young people, many of whom expressed frustration at restrictions on gatherings and the closure of bars and nightclubs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Marseille was not among the 16 different regions which entered a fresh lockdown on Saturday, with its current caseload lower than national hotspots such as nearby city Nice along the Mediterranean coast or the capital region.
"It's completely unacceptable at a time when all of us are making efforts, are adapting and organising ourselves to respect the different rules in order to fight against the pandemic," interior ministry spokeswoman Camille Chaize told France Info radio on Monday.
Nine people had been arrested and dozens had been fined, she said.
The mayor of Marseille Benoît Payan said he was "outraged" by the event, adding on Twitter: "Nothing justifies that we undermine our collective efforts to keep the virus at bay."
The president of the Provence-Alpes-Côtes-d'Azur region Renaud Muselier also expressed his condemnation of the improvised street party.