Jostled security guards, overturned security barriers, noise in the neighborhood: Internet users have deplored on social networks several events that occurred during the Metro Metro festival, last weekend, in Montreal.
In some videos that have gone viral on Instagram and TikTok, festival-goers can also be seen entering the site without having paid or even fighting. Joined by The duty, the organizer of the event, Olivier Primeau, condemns these actions and specifies that an internal investigation is underway to shed light on these actions. “These are actions that are not excusable. These events are regrettable, but we are on it and we are here to improve. »
Olivier Primeau believes that the fact that there have been very few festivals of this scale in the past two years due to the pandemic may have played a role in the irritation of some festival-goers. “But that doesn’t justify [ces agissements] “, he says, however.
According to the public relations officer of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), Véronique Comtois, five festival-goers were arrested, including one for an assault on a security guard, and another for an armed assault on a police officer. , which is currently under investigation.
Sports journalist Daphnée Malboeuf went there with a cry from the heart on Twitter, deploring the absence of security guards around the festival. “To get home, I walked in the middle of the street because I was afraid to walk on the sidewalk, near the alleys, since it’s not well lit,” she explains, raising the large numbers of intoxicated people who harassed her as she returned home after a day’s work.
Post-match reflection: Would that be too much to ask of festival organizers #MetroMetro to add security around the event? Not feeling safe to come home, eg people in a state of serious intoxication. Seems to me that’s the least of it?! ????
— Daphnee Malboeuf (@DaphneeMalboeuf) May 23, 2022
“I think it’s up to the borough to see to the proper functioning of a festival that is already bothering residents,” she says. However, she stresses that “it’s a festival that showcases local artists” and that it’s normal for there to be a lot of noise and a lot of people when you’re in town. “But not feeling safe going home is what motivated me to write [les tweets]. »
At the time of writing these lines, the office of the mayor of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Pierre Lessard-Blais, had not responded to our interview requests.
Political reactions
Joined by The duty, the mayor of the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Pierre Lessard-Blais, explains that the territory of the Olympic Park is not subject to municipal governance. “A leaflet was sent a few weeks before the festival to tell citizens that the Olympic Park was responsible for the event, and therefore to direct any complaints to the Olympic Park,” he explains. “I have no authorization to give on which promoters are welcomed on the site. »
Regarding the upkeep of the premises, he adds that “we did not have a large series of calls on cleanliness in the sector” and that “when I toured the sector on Monday afternoon, the work had been done”.
For its part, the office of the Mayor of Montreal, Valerie Plante, “deplores” the actions of certain spectators during the weekend. “We would like to remind festival-goers to show good citizenship, at all times, for everyone’s safety and respect for residents near the festival,” said press officer Marikym Gaudreault in writing.
She also affirms that a contingency plan in the event of overflows had been presented in “good and due form” before the holding of the event by the promoter and the Olympic park, at the request of the City.
“We will be in contact with the organizers to determine what could be put in place to avoid this type of overflow,” she adds.
“People were eager to celebrate”
Student Samie McNicoll attended the festival on its opening day last Friday. She says she never felt in danger, but nevertheless notes that the crowd was special, according to her. “We are coming out of the pandemic, I felt that people were eager to celebrate. »
During rapper Lil Pump’s show on Friday night, she reported that Olivier Primeau had to interrupt the concert by going on stage to dissuade the crowd from indulging in moshpit, which can become violent. A moshpit occurs when members of a crowd bump into each other in a form of brutal dancing, often at the foot of the stage.
“In several festivals, it is done. When we see that things are stirring too much at the front, we calm the enthusiasm,” explains Olivier Primeau, who adds that the organizing committee has warned the artists that any encouragement moshpit would result in the cancellation of their concert.
Last November, it was such crowd movements, among other things, that led to the tragedy of the Astroworld festival, in Houston. During a concert by rapper Travis Scott, ten people died, asphyxiated and trampled by the crowd, while hundreds of others were injured.
Despite this warning, student Samie McNicoll decided to leave a song before the end of the last show of the evening. “It was made heavy; it had become the norm to push people around you. At least it was easy to get out,” she says.
Olivier Primeau is planning a third edition of the festival next year, still in the Olympic Stadium sector, but not necessarily on the esplanade, believing that there could be more space near the Saputo stadium. He says he is confident for the future of the event, which was sold out last weekend.
“This is the second year that we have worked with the site, and already there is a big improvement compared to the first year”, he maintains, in addition to planning an increase in the workforce next year to limit damage in the neighborhood.
“It’s going to be super important to have more presence outside the site,” he believes.