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"Celebrate with joy and vigilance": an application launched to secure the Bayonne Festivals

"Celebrate with joy and vigilance": an application launched to secure the Bayonne Festivals
As every year, the Bayonne festivities attract thousands of people to the city's streets. And as is often the case, sexual assaults, fights, and rapes are feared. So, a group has created an app to combat these attacks. It allows victims to locate safe places where they can go.

As the Bayonne Festival kicks off this Wednesday, the safety of those attending has become a priority. Organizers have unveiled their security measures, including a new app to combat assaults, particularly sexual assaults, during the festival.

During the 2024 edition , a 46-year-old man from Bayonne was killed during the Bayonne Festival . Numerous assaults were also recorded and five rape complaints were filed.

This application, called " Vigilance Fêtes ," was created by a group of Bordeaux party organizers and the city hall. It has been available for download for a few days. Its stated goal is to be able to report an attack in a few seconds and to find a place to take refuge in the area in case of trouble in just a few clicks.

Owen Lagadec-Iriarte, a member of the collective and one of the creators of the app, explains to RMC how it works, with the general public having access to a geolocated list of places of refuge.

"If anything happens to you, or you witness an incident, there are trained people who will meet you. They will tell you how far away you are on foot and give you directions," he explains.

The goal is to have 10,000 downloads of the app by this Wednesday, the first day of the Bayonne Festival. He believes this is a goal that should be easily reached.

“There's too much sexual violence happening. There's some that can be defused by telling someone coming to Bayonne for the first time that there are behaviors they shouldn't engage in. And there's the possibility of putting victims in protection when they didn't necessarily know where to go. The idea is to celebrate with joy, kindness, and vigilance,” he adds.

RMC

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