RAVES A HEADACHE FOR FRENCH

PAULE, France - To the young, they are free-for-alls of drug-induced
revelry and thumping techno beats in the bucolic French countryside. To
President Jacques Chirac, they are a growing problem.

Rave parties, Dionysian fests involving abundant marijuana, heroin, cocaine
and especially the designer drug ecstasy, have been around for about a
decade in Europe. But now, with five rave-related deaths reported in a year
and increasing property damage, they are drawing the attention of France's
political establishment.

Some of the secretly organized parties draw tens of thousands from across
Europe. Others are small regional affairs. But they all feature drugs,
techno music and the open air.

Elsewhere in Europe, there are larger, much more organized and urban rave
parties, such as Berlin's Love Parade, which drew at least 800,000 last
month, and Zurich's Lake Parade, which drew 750,000. In France, raves
typically take place in rural areas. News travels by word of mouth, and
authorities are almost never forewarned.

Since July 2000, at least five people have died in connection with rave
parties in France - two of drug overdoses, one who fell off a roof, one who
fell into frigid water and one in a drug-related shooting. Last month, two
women were raped at a rave in eastern France.

The political battle over the raves began in April when conservative
lawmaker Thierry Mariani introduced a bill requiring organizers to give
notice to authorities. Many ravers protested, saying spontaneity is an
essential element.

Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin was unable to convince the leftist
majority in the National Assembly to back the bill, which died last month.

But Chirac revived the issue, using his traditional July 14 television
interview to say a new law might be needed - although he hoped it wouldn't
be necessary.

Chirac cited raves that have caused damage to property, disturbed rural
residents and led to injuries "without the least person held responsible."

Mariani estimates that in the first six months of the year, more than 730
rave parties were held across France.

Last month, some 30,000 people, mostly in their 20s, traveled by car,
camper, van or hitchhiking to a grass field near this Breton village. Many
came from hundreds of miles away, including some from Britain.

The aim, said many, was to reaffirm their freedom, escape a world gone too
commercial and flee a nightclub scene that has become stale or too expensive.

"We're young, we just want to party," said Noemie Dubourdieu, 21, of nearby
Blougouvelin.

In France, raves are known both as "teknivals" - a fusion of techno and
festival - and "free parties," in a reference to liberty and the fact that
it costs nothing to attend.

The Paule rave drew people from a large nearby music festival and
snowballed into a four-day, round-the-clock affair in a mud-covered pasture.

Attendees, many with pierced noses, dreadlocks and trendy hooded jackets,
found out where to go by word of mouth. Many were angry that the government
would consider clamping down on them.

"What makes them flip out is that they don't control us," said Fleur
Dupleich, 23, a film student in Paris.

Residents were divided about the invasion. One man, who refused to give his
name, stomped through the field with tears in his eyes, complaining about
the mess and loud music. Others were more tolerant.

"They're not harming anybody," said Jean-Paul Bozec, 50, from the nearby
town of Blouray. "Still, we would much rather coordinate with the
organizers. We just don't know who they are."

There were no serious injuries. A Red Cross tent treated 670 people for
cuts, minor burns or the effects of partying too hard.

While several ecologically-minded ravers led a nonstop cleanup effort at
Paule, trash was spread all over. Regional official Jacques Garau said 200
tons of garbage were cleared - mainly bottles, cans and food wrappers.

The Paule rave "was a real problem, like all raves," he said. "People
entered by force, tore up fenceposts and ruined the field. It was a
difficult sanitary situation."

But ultimately, it's the drugs that make raves what they are. Some are
concerned about the implications.

"It's too bad. Some of these people are starting to use heroin at 17 or 18
years old," said Guillaume Blin, 23, who said he was one of the few ravers
not to use drugs. "They aren't going to go far in life."