Since this Sunday, we no longer smoke on the beaches: from Menton to Grasse, we asked you what you think about it

Day one of a new phase in the fight against smoking. Since this Sunday, cigarettes have been banned in more public spaces: smoking is no longer permitted on beaches, in public parks and gardens, under bus shelters, or near schools and sports facilities. In a few days, a text will specify the affected areas. The idea is to protect children from secondhand smoke and to make cigarettes invisible in public places.

In Cagnes-sur-Mer, on the beach, just like in Nice, people haven't smoked for several years now. And this Sunday late morning, even near the beach, on the Cros-de-Cagnes promenade, cigarettes are rare.

Sitting on the pebbles with his partner, Romain - "almost a pack a day" - nevertheless has his girlfriends within reach. But to smoke, he now puts on his T-shirt and moves a few meters away from the showers. " We're here on vacation. I just learned a few days ago that I couldn't smoke on the beach, as my towel neighbor kindly pointed out. And now you're telling me that this is now the case everywhere in France, we honestly didn't know. But why not? Even if I don't really see the point in an outdoor location..."

A few pebbles away, Laurie and Amandine are sitting with their daughters. "I'm a former smoker, and now a vaper, and I'm quite happy not to be affected by this new ban," Laurie rejoices. "From an ecological point of view, I think it's great; it drives me crazy when my daughter plays in the sand and brings me a cigarette butt. But I'm sure that if everyone had more manners and respect, we wouldn't have to resort to these bans. In any case, here on the beaches in Cagnes, you rarely see people smoking."

Amandine, for her part, has a lot more trouble with smokers: "It's not the case here, but on other beaches on the Côte d'Azur, like in Antibes, we're stuck together and if your neighbor is a smoker you get a full noseful of smoke! It annoys me. So this law is pretty good. But, without going as far as a total ban like in Milan [Italy] where people no longer smoke in the street, we should also have taken restaurant terraces into account. That's also a problem, maybe even more so than on the beach..."

From now on, on all beaches in France, offenders are liable to a fine of 135 euros if they smoke. Except if they sit on a deckchair in a private establishment , an unenclosed space similar to a restaurant terrace.

On the forecourt of the station, in Nice

On the forecourt of Nice-Ville train station, no one seems aware of the new law. A Russian-speaking couple smokes a cigarette in the shade, apparently illegally. What do they think of the law? Nothing. They speak neither French nor English. Or maybe they don't want to talk.

Two ashtrays stand 10 meters from the main entrance, on the slab, in the blazing sun. But no one smokes around them. In any case, there's no signage to indicate the new ban.

Karim, meanwhile, is looking for a cigarette. When he learns that a new anti-smoking law is coming into effect, and that he'll now have to smoke further away, it doesn't really bother him: " As long as they're good laws that protect children, I'm all for it."

Trains roll by, pouring out hordes of tourists. Few people take the time to smoke a cigarette as they leave the concourse: it must be said that the sun is particularly harsh. A little to one side, two shop employees are smoking cigarettes, leaning on one of the station doors. This behavior falls under the new law. "This is ridiculous," one of them rants. "I can keep an eye on the shop, but if I have to go 10 meters away, I won't see anything. And that's yet another ban!" Her colleague chimes in: "Another excuse to fine us! It's not as if I smoke inside! What's it going to change whether I smoke here or 10 meters away?"

With athletes in Grasse

It's no longer possible to smoke a cigarette in sports facilities, even outdoors. Especially in stadiums. "It's good, but it won't be enforced," doubts a 39-year-old man we met at the La Paoute municipal stadium in Grasse. "When parents spend all day in the stands for their child's soccer tournament, do you think they won't smoke all day? It's not up to the stadium guard to enforce the ban. It's going to be a source of headaches." Pierre, 28, is leaving the All In Grasse tennis club, padel racket slung over his shoulder and electronic cigarette in hand, which is not affected by the new restrictions. "It's a good thing for children in public parks, but for sports clubs, we should be able to smoke on the terrace." He can rest assured: it will still be possible. Estelle, manager of the club's restaurant, agrees: "Smoking was already banned on the tennis courts and padel courts, but not around them. As long as the restaurant terrace remains smoking-friendly, that's the most important thing. 70% of our clientele is non-athletes, and there are still a lot of smokers!"

In a park in Menton

Sitting on a shady bench in the Biovès gardens in Menton, Wilfried thoughtfully takes a cigarette from a blonde. The 51-year-old started smoking in the army when he was 18. A habit that has become an addiction, he enjoys indulging in this park just steps from his apartment.

Tuned into CNews, the fifty-year-old knows that it's now illegal to smoke in public parks. "Nonsense," he grumbles. Wilfried isn't opposed to the idea of ​​protecting children from smoking, but he finds the measure repressive: "We're not even allowed to smoke a cigarette outside anymore. I never smoke near people, children or not. It's a question of respect. When I'm in a restaurant, even on a terrace, I always move away to light a cigarette. When I'm waiting for the bus or in a park, it's the same. If a grandmother comes to sit next to me on the bench, I'll leave to smoke." Common sense? " No, it's respect. That's how I was raised. "

So, the idea of ​​being fined for a puff of nicotine doesn't appeal to him. "The state needs money, so we had to find a way to make smokers pay," he rants.