Yahoo – AFP,
Vincent Morvan, 19 July 2015
 |
An AFPTV
screen grab shows the beach at Vallauris which will be cut off
from the public
during the Saudi royal family's stay (AFP Photo)
|
Vallauris
(France) (AFP) - Beach lovers on the French Riviera expressed their anger
Sunday over the imminent arrival of the Saudi royal family, who have ordered a
long stretch of beach to be closed off to the public.
"Looking
after their security is fine, but they should at least let us go for a
swim," said Mohamed, a disgruntled fishing enthusiast.
Nestled in
the rocks between the coastal railway and the translucent waters of the
Mediterranean, the grounds of the royal family's immense villa stretches across
a kilometre of Riviera coastline between Antibes and Marseille.
Local
authorities confirmed that King Salman is due to arrive at some point this
week, and that access to the entire kilometre stretch will be cut off,
including the public beach at Vallauris, which can only be reached through a
tunnel under the railway line.
"Access
to the coast will be prohibited by police officers for the duration of the
king's holiday," said local official Philippe Castanet.
Coastguards
will also stop anyone coming within 300 metres of the villa by sea.
Beach users
swung between disappointment and anger over the news.
"They
take the decision and there's nothing we can say," said Mohamed, rinsing
off his fishing rod on the beachfront.
"It's
a good fishing spot and blocking access is not acceptable."
Beach-to-villa elevator
Fatima, a
local nurse, had come with her two daughters for a swim.
"Whether
it's him or another billionaire, they always have priority over ordinary
people. On the other hand, they are good for business, coming here with 400
people in their entourage. I heard they might even fix the roads."
 |
King Salman
bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is due to arrive on the French Riviera
this week (AFP
Photo)
|
Her
boyfriend Didier recalls a time when Salman's predecessor King Fahd was
visiting and the police had to forcibly remove swimmers who refused to clear
out.
Workers
hired by the Saudis had last week already started building the fence that will
close off access to the beach, but were ordered to stop until the royal family
arrives.
They had
also generated a great deal of anger by starting work on an elevator from the
beach to the villa, which involved pouring a huge slab of cement directly on to
the sand.
The local
authorities have allowed work on the elevator to continue on condition that it
is dismantled when the family vacation ends.
The villa
itself has become a hive of activity, with one local, Christian, saying there
were dozens of people decking it out with rose bushes and other plants over the
weekend.
"You
can see they've replaced the balcony windows, no doubt to put in some
bullet-proof glass," he said.
He also
pointed out what appeared to be a golden throne, positioned to soak up the sun
-- and a view unspoiled by the general public -- on the villa's terrace.
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