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Saudi King Cuts Short French Vacation Amid Beach Closure Controversy

The beach re-opened Monday, but angry citizens will hand over a petition with 151,000 signatures protesting the closure on Tuesday, which, of course, is the anniversary of France's abolition of feudalism in 1789.
Imagen de the Golfo Juan cerca de Cannes, vía Flickr

King Salman of Saudi Arabia has cut short his royal vacation in the southern French seaside resort of Golfe-Juan Vallauris, after the closure of a public beach caused uproar among the locals.

The beach — which was fenced off to accommodate the king and members of his 1,000-person entourage — was reopened to the public Monday, after a petition against its "privatization" collected over 150,000 signatures.

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Related: French Protesters Try to Derail Beach Takeover by Saudi King and His Massive Entourage

"Is the Saudi king in Morocco?," asked Moroccan weekly magazine Tel Quel on July 30, fueling rumors of a "hasty" departure from the French Riviera. On Sunday, Saudi flags, limousines and an important security detail were spotted in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier, where the king owns another luxury villa, just a stone's throw from the Moroccan royal palace, in the port city's La Montagne neighborhood.

While there has been no official comment on the king's current whereabouts, Alpes-Maritimes regional official Philippe Castanet confirmed Sunday that the royal had left France, telling AFP the king had "ended his stay in Golfe-Juan."

Speaking to VICE News Monday, a spokesperson for the Alpes-Maritime prefecture described the king's departure as "unexplained," adding that, "two thirds of king Salman's entourage have left the region." The spokesperson could not provide any information on kKing Salman's next port of call.

Back in July, the Saudi royal court announced in a statement that King Salman would be taking a "private vacation" during which the crown prince would be in charge of running the country. According to French daily Le Monde, Saudi authorities had hinted at the time that the king might remain in France for up to four weeks.

"The king has left but the questions remain," said Jean-Noël Falcou, a town councilman who launched the petition against the beach closure. In the petition, Falcou calls on the authorities to reopen the popular local spot and to pass laws against the "bending of the rules usually afforded to rich or powerful people" who live along the coastline. By law, all French beaches are open to the public.

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Speaking to VICE News Monday, Falcou said the matter went beyond local politics.

"We want the French state to commit itself to addressing the issue," he said, "so that this never happens again — not in Vallauris Golfe-Juan, nor anywhere else [in France]."

Falcou also noted that an "illegal" elevator that was installed from the villa to the beach was being dismantled Monday.

"The beach was opened this morning, the security features had been lifted," he said.

Falcou said that his petition — which had been signed by 151,000 people on Monday afternoon — would be handed over to the local authorities in the French Riviera city of Nice on Tuesday, August 4, at 11am.

Related: Saudi Arabia Has a Big Islamic State Problem

"We chose this date because it's the anniversary of the 1789 abolition of feudalism in France," said Falcou.

Over 200 years ago, in the wake of the French revolution, France's first National Assembly abolished feudal rights and several privileges of the noble class.

Despite many local businesses and luxury hotels having welcomed the royal visit as a boon to the region, few shop owners were willing to comment on the king's announced departure.

"It's a real shame," said a 22-year-old florist, who works near Golfe Juan. "They placed lots of big flower orders," he said, adding that the royal stay had given the region a financial "boost."

The villa in Golfe-Juan was acquired in 1979 by King Salman's older brother, the late King Fahd, of Saudi Arabia. Salman was crowned as the new king of Saudi Arabia on 23 January 2015, following the death of his half brother King Abdullah.

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France has maintained close diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia over the last few years, nurturing connections in the defense and energy sectors. On June 24, the two countries negotiated several lucrative contracts during the first meeting of the Franco-Saudi Joint Commission, which was led by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The commission signed two major dollar deals, including one for the sale of 50 Airbus passenger planes and 23 helicopters. They two countries have since unveiled several collaborations in the medical, scientific, and civil nuclear energy sectors.

Follow Pierre-Louis Caron on Twitter : @pierrelouis_c

Watch the VICE News documentary, "The Islamic State."