France shuts public shore before Saudi royals’ visit

France has decided to close a public beach front on the Mediterranean coastline of French Riviera for an upcoming visit by Saudi Arabia’s royal family, sparking an angry reaction from local residents.

The decision by French authorities to shut down the beach came after the Saudis rented out a villa above the coastal area located in the southern French community of Vallauris, RT reported Saturday citing local reports.

People will be prohibited from using the public beach while the Saudi royal family is staying there. Authorities have cited security reasons for such a move.

“This public beach will be completely closed off during the Saudi royal family’s visit,” said Philippe Castanet, the sub-prefect of the local town of Grasse, which is also home to the mansion owned by the Saudi royals.

“We are still negotiating how they will be protected, by security agents or police, whether or not areas will be fenced off from the public, and exactly when we will be able to re-establish full public access to the beach,” he added.

“These works went ahead before the ongoing negotiations between France and the Saudi authorities over the security arrangements during the royal family’s stay in Vallauris had been finalized,” the local official further emphasized.

This is while angry residents discovered on Wednesday that a tunnel, which is the only public access to the beach, had been blocked off by a fence, and a concrete slab had been constructed at the beach’s entrance.

Meanwhile, local authorities said efforts to block access to the vacation spot were illegal, confirming that the proper permits had not been obtained in time.

“We have had no planning application for this work,” said Mayor of Vallauris Michelle Salucki as cited in a local newspaper, adding, “Local police have been alerted and have been told to remove this obstruction to public access.”

The Saudi royals have, on a number of occasions, stirred controversy in European countries by renting out vast public spaces as their private vacation spots.

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