Petition against beach closure for Saudi king
A petition opposing the closure of a French public beach to allow the Saudi monarch to holiday in privacy has attracted over 100,000 signatures.
Officials in Vallauris have prohibited public access to a stretch of beach in the French Riviera to ensure the security of the king and his inner circle.
Saudi King Salman and his 1,000-strong entourage arrived on Saturday and are holidaying in the area for three weeks.
The king’s inner circle is staying at the villa – between Antibes and Marseille – while about 700 others will stay at hotels in Cannes, according to reports.
A huge slab of concrete has also been poured directly on the sand between La Mirandole beach and villa so a lift can be installed.
The petition insists the public beach in Vallauris should be ‘available for the benefit of all’.
The petition says: "We recall that this natural zone, like all maritime public estates, is an intrinsic public property that should be available for the benefit of all, residents, tourists, French, foreigners or people passing through.
"We ask the state to guarantee the fundamental principle of the equality of all citizens before the law."
The mayor of Vallauris has also written to President Francois Hollande in protest.
There is also a ban on coming within 300m of the villa by sea.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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