Founded in the 1980s, Charpentier TP notably participated in the construction of reserves intended for the intensive irrigation of Mauzé-sur-le-Mignon and Sainte-Soline as well as other similar works built in Vendée. “Putting these machines out of harm's way makes it possible to concretely stop the construction sites in progress and to remind people that no one responsible for them is unreachable,” say the authors of this “action” and of an anonymous letter addressed to several editorial offices as well as to the Bassines Non Merci (BNM) and Soulèvements de la terre collectives.
“This will continue as long as there are no real discussions on water sharing”
In this long missive sent by email, its authors designate this voluntary act as a “direct response to the participation of this company in the mega-basin projects” while denouncing a “model of grabbing water and [la] promotion of agro-industry. This system, they also write, “destroys our territory, makes the peasants disappear, speculates on the fruit of our exploitation”.
As such, the Charpentier TP company is described as “the ogre of Poitou [s’étant] largely fattened in exchange for his role in the construction sites which destroyed the Marais Poitevin and the Pays Mellois”. This letter concludes with these threats: “Any actor who will be associated with future mega-basin projects […] will suffer the consequences.” Its authors display their desire to “clearly impact the continuation of the projects in order to simply put an end to them”.
The La Roche-sur-Yon public prosecutor's office did not follow up. According to AFP, the Vendée public prosecutor's office would not have been informed of such a claim. The Charpentier TP company did not wish to comment further. Spokesperson for the BNM collective, Julien Le Guet “takes note, does not approve and does not condemn” this fire. “It is the continuity of a movement that extends beyond us, in which many people recognize themselves and act with their own DNA. This shows anger, we do not have the exclusivity of this anger. And this will continue as long as there are no real discussions on water sharing,” believes Julien Le Guet.
