On Tuesday, May 24th, Montreal mayor Valérie Plante addressed the promoters of the 2022 Metro Music Festival and the severe injuries that people sustained last weekend during the event.
She said they need to “take responsibility” for everything.
The festival popped off from May 20th to May 22nd on the Esplanade of the Olympic Stadium in the popular Canadian city. Fans watched their favorite artists and were treated to a surprise appearance by rapper Drake.
However, the crowd became unruly despite people having a ball, according to Montreal Gazette.
Social media showed festival attendees being knocked over, surging through the security gate, and even jumping over wall structures to see the show for free.
At a press conference, Plante said, “What happened was not acceptable. You can’t compromise people’s security inside or around the perimeter. Obviously, when I saw the images, I was troubled,” she said. “Especially when you think of the safety of people who could have been hurt because management of the barriers could have been better.”
The festival organizer Olivier Primeau said his team did take the proper security measures to make sure people were safe.
Primeau also said his crew respected all the conditions for using the venue but promised he would implement “lots of things” to make the festival run better next year.
He said they want to bring the festival back but may change the venue next year.