One of the offenses accused of the seven defendants related to military law, the court of Rodez referred to that of Toulouse, having jurisdiction in the matter.
There were people in front of the Rodez courthouse this Wednesday. Accompanied by numerous supporters, several Aveyron activists were expected to answer for several offenses following a mobilization on June 1 in Millau. That day, the Aveyron sub-prefecture received several ministers for the “Small Town Conference”. At the same time, numerous anti-globalization organizations and unions had launched a call to demonstrate under the name of “Intervilles du zbeul”…
Very quickly during the day, one of the demonstrators was arrested following a stampede with mobile brigades in the city center of the Cité du gant. Several activists then went to the Millau gendarmerie in the afternoon to get news of their comrade. Seven of them were then prosecuted for “fraudulent entry onto land assigned to the military authority”. All of them also subsequently refused to submit to a DNA sample or fingerprinting…
“I refer the public prosecutor to take better action”
This Wednesday, May 15, they therefore expected to receive their sentence, a fine or even more from the courts. But it has not happened. The trial did not take place, the Rodez court ruling “incompetent” to rule. Indeed, as was raised by the defense and the lawyers Me Arnaud Cagnac and Aziza Dridi, the jurisdiction does not have jurisdiction in criminal matters with regard to military offenses… The latter fall under the jurisdiction of the Toulouse judicial court. “I refer the public prosecutor to take better action”concluded the president of the day.
“It’s magical, they don’t even know how to pursue us in this antisocial hunt anymore”, smiled several of the supporters of the accused as they left the room, all smiles. Because this trial had already started with a “quack”. It was delayed for many minutes due to the closed gates of the court, not allowing access to the public and thus the required publicity of the proceedings. The judges then asked the police officers to let the activists in.
“It’s a new snub for the prefect”
Who, before leaving for South Aveyron or Vallon for the most part, listened to one of the defendants, Christian Roqueirol, historical figure of the Peasant Confederation. Microphone in hand, the latter regretted “the ridiculousness of the situation”. If he still does not know if the case will now be transmitted to Toulouse, he pointed out “dangerous and increasingly strong social repression on the part of the prefect of Aveyron”. “We are here because we denounced the pension reform even though the majority of the people are opposed to it. In Millau, we entered the gendarmerie courtyard with our faces uncovered and in complete peace and quiet to simply get news of our arrested comrade The police officer in place even welcomed us warmly! It’s incomprehensible to be prosecuted following this, it’s the result of an increasingly anti-social and repressive policy. is above all a new snub for the prefect”.
#French
