in Nantes, 3,000 demonstrators against cuts in the Region's culture budget

There were nearly three thousand of them this Monday in front of the regional council in Nantes. Cultural professionals gathered to protest against the severe budgetary tightening announced by the president of the Loire" rel="tag">Pays de la Loire region. Reporting.

IIt's still dark when the first demonstrators begin to arrive. In the rain a sea of ​​yellow vests, rain pants and oilskins converges. “Is it this way, Pôle emploi? » jokes a protester. Cultural professionals met at dawn in front of the regional hotel in Nantes to oppose the drastic budget cuts announced by the president of the Pays de la Loire region, Christelle Morançais (Horizons ). While the State is asking for 40 million in savings, good student, it promises at least 100 million and announces clear cuts in the budgets for culture (– 73%), sport (– 75%) and equality. women-men (–93%).

The sky is gray, the streets are blocked by CRS trucks. The regional hotel has the air of a citadel. On Friday, the president issued a cold tweet: “I took the decision, with great regret, but also deep anger, to cancel the meeting with the mayors of Loire-Atlantique, which was to be held next Monday […]. Faced with calls for mobilization, coming from LFI, unions and left-wing associations, aimed at contesting the savings to be made on the regional budget, we are not able to guarantee security around and inside the the regional hotel. In this particularly violent context, which is fueled by fake news and personal attacks, I do not want to put mayors at any risk. I deeply regret that this time of democratic exchanges is the subject of such exploitation. » Words that don't get through. “In her tweet, Christelle Morançais could have said that she understood the concerns, takes offense at Thomas Guignard, director of a distribution and tour production agency. But she points the finger at us as agitators who prevent the smooth running of her meeting! »

It is no longer a crisis, it is a massacre.

A representative of the CGT Spectacle

Neither this cancellation nor the rain prevented the mobilization of nearly three thousand people, in an atmosphere that was half-festive, half-worried. “It is no longer a crisis, it is a massacre”, alarmed a union representative from the CGT Spectacle. In small groups, we sigh, we talk about the consequences of these drastic cuts, we support each other. Everyone says they are shocked by the brutality of the announcements, the lack of consultation and consideration. For an intermittent entertainment technician, “it’s like current politics: mind-blowingly violent.”

Mathilde, photographer, develops mediation projects in nursing homes and with the Judicial Protection of Youth. “We are starting to organize the calendar with the structures that hire me but without certainty as to the projects that we will be able to carry out, she laments. As with many others here, the vast majority of my economy is based on grants, I will have to find other ways of working. » The declines are so significant that they could lead to the disappearance of several festivals such as Les Escales, in Saint-Nazaire, or places of culture such as the House of Poetry in Nantes. Even the most firmly established festivals like La Folle Journee risk being faced with great financial difficulties.

On the roundabout adjoining the regional hall, the demonstrators recount how they learned of the reduction, or even the cessation of regional subsidies, and therefore, for some, their “killing”. SMS, emails, colleagues, calls. La Plateforme, the audiovisual center of Pays de la Loire which works to structure and recognize the sector in the Region, was informed by telephone of the halving of its subsidy (which represents 40% of its budget) in 2025 , before its total abolition in 2026. “This raises questions about the actions already undertaken, the impact on production companies, image education, festivals, on the entire ecosystem that we have built since our creation ten years ago, explains Tomasz Namerla, president of La Plateforme. We understand that there may be an effort to be made, but we would have liked to take advantage of collective intelligence to be able to think about this future together. »

New demonstration on December 5

The rain has stopped, the umbrellas are put away. The signs hang above heads: “Artists on sale”, “We are really going to end up dying on stage with Morançais”, “Horizon Morançais = culture dead on stage. » On the stage, Family Planning speaks. It is also the International Day to Combat Violence Against Women. The regional president announced a 93% reduction in subsidies for gender equality. A disaster.

Next, the unions would like it to be broader and more convergent. On December 5, a public service demonstration is scheduled. On December 19, the budget will be voted on. By then, the demonstrators hope that they will have succeeded in reversing the trend.