# Tour de France--is there any law regulating spectators?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-is-there-any-law-regulating-spectators/314271>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 26, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-is-there-any-law-regulating-spectators/314271 "2005-07-26T18:44:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-is-there-any-law-regulating-spectators/314271/1 "2005-07-26T18:44:11Z")

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There was a thread in the Pit yesterday titled “long live Lance–but those idiotic spectators…”---------which got me thinking:

Is there any law in France that governs the spectators?

Millions of people line the route, and tens of thousands of them stand right on the asphalt, and/or in front of the riders. Often, they are waving flags on long poles. And occassionally, it causes a crash–but only very rarely. Maybe once or twice during the 3 weeks, despite there being thousands of near misses.

And if some crackpot hates a certain lead rider, it would be easy to block him, or worse.  
Does French law have anything to say in such a case?  
Or what about the regulations of the sports organizations? Anything comparable to , say, penalties imposed on a team due to football (=soccer) hooliganism?