The intensity of the mobilization against the A69 did not last the night and, after a feverish Saturday, the third large rally in opposition to the future motorway between Toulouse and Castres (Tarn) ended without further action. hot, Sunday June 9. “Doing two days in a row at full speed is complicated”, whispered, on Sunday noon, a participant at the entrance to the base camp installed in Puylaurens, a small town in Tarn located on the route of the contested motorway. Started at 6 p.m., the dismantling of the camp was to be completed Monday morning.
During the previous gathering, in October, in the neighboring town of Saïx, the clashes on Saturday between demonstrators and the police continued for a long time on Sunday: during the night a small zone to be defended (ZAD) was erected, scene of new clashes until its evacuation.
Nothing like this in Puylaurens on Sunday, where, by midday, only a few hundred people remained in the camp, which the rain had transformed into a vast field of slush. The weather conditions and the persistence of a major law enforcement system – 1,600 police officers and gendarmes, like the day before – got the better of a planned bicycle demonstration in support of the twenty or so occupants of a small neighboring ZAD.
Read also | A69: demonstration of thousands of people against the motorway project linking Toulouse to Castres, punctuated by violence
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This third weekend of mobilization gave rise to the usual battle of numbers – 6,000 opponents gathered according to the organizers, 2,500 to 3,000, including 1,600 who went to demonstrate, according to the prefecture – but everyone is agreement to note that it was less followed than the two previous ones, in April 2023 (from 4,500 to 8,200 demonstrators) then in October (from 5,000 to 10,000).
The “justified” ban for the prefect
Orchestrated by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, and the prefect of Tarn, Michel Vilbois, the ban on the gathering even before a request for authorization had been submitted and then the intense communication on the risks of violence, massive controls and weapons seizures had a deterrent effect. “Governing by fear has always worked”notes Thomas Brail, founder of the National Tree Surveillance Group (GNSA) and figure in the fight.
Arthur Grimon, spokesperson for the Earth Uprisings, expressed a feeling on Sunday evening “very mixed, both satisfied and dissatisfied” : “We are satisfied with the round tables that were held, satisfied to have been able to set up camp and that the event was able to take place, whereas a few hours before we thought that it would be impossible to transport the marquees, the sound, equipment, etc. But we felt gagged following the attempt to prevent the demonstration, we have the impression of having been prevented from expressing ourselves, this is worrying in a country supposed to be democratic. Furthermore, we are dissatisfied at not having been able to achieve the objective during the demonstration, the high point of the weekend, on Saturday. »
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