Paris Cops Steel for Facebook Booze Binge

Paris cops are girding for thousands of drunken revelers expected at the foot of the Eiffel tower this weekend, even though they warned it's illegal. The Paris gathering, organized via Facebook, will be the latest in a series of 58 mass drunkathons or "apéros géants" that are giving police nightmares across France. One drunken reveler plunged to his death from a bridge in Nantes last week at a tipsy gathering of 10,000.

"The consumption of alcohol being permanently forbidden on the Champ de Mars, the 'giant cocktails' cannot take place Sunday," Paris police said in a statement. Cops are also banning the "carrying and holding of bottles and glass containers" at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and nearby areas. Authorities said they're open to such events if they're held in a suitable area and reasonable time, reports Reuters.
(More apero geant stories.)