new action against the mega-basin of Sainte-Soline, Darmanin announces the maintenance of more than 1,000 gendarmes on site

The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, affirmed, on Sunday evening October 30, his “will that no ZAD [pour « zone à défendre »] does not settle in Deux-Sèvres”by announcing the maintenance on the site of the Sainte-Soline mega-basin of “more than 1,000 gendarmes”. The Minister also denounced “ecoterrorism” demonstrated, in his eyes, by some of the demonstrators – “about forty radicalized ultra-left ‘S files’ (…) who wants disorder and chaos”explained Mr. Darmanin.

The day after gathering in Sainte-Solineorganized against a mega-basin project intended for agricultural irrigation and which ended in violent clashes between demonstrators and police, the mobilization ended on Sunday.

In the afternoon, hooded militants, equipped with a grinder, shovels and pickaxes, would have severed one of the pipes supposed to supply the future reserve. “We just knocked off one of the six arms of the octopus”, welcomed Julien Le Guet, spokesperson for the Bassines non merci collective, thus designating the water basin and its network of pipes. Earlier in the day, the activist had announced “a surprise action that will have a physical, irreparable and pacifist impact” the project.

“There are around 2,000 people left on the site, I remind you that the demonstration remains prohibited, so any act aimed at trying again to enter the site of the reserve will again be ruled out”had declared in the morning on France info the prefect of the department, Emmanuelle Dubée. A police helicopter flew over the area. However, the police did not intervene.

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Six arrests on Saturday

The day before, the clashes between the demonstrators and the police will cause dozens of injuries on both sides. “Sixty-one gendarmes were injured, including twenty-two specific”, a tweeted Mr. Darmanin, for whom “This figure shows that it was not a peaceful demonstration but a very violent gathering”. “I hope that all republican political forces will condemn this violence”added the Minister.

On the protesters side, Julien Le Guet, himself hit in the head, reported “fifty real wounded”, casting doubt on the balance sheet drawn up by Mr. Darmanin. Tear gas canisters were produced and elected officials wearing their tricolor scarf were molested, in particular the environmentalist deputy for Vienne, Lisa Belluco, according to a photographer from Agence France-Presse.

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Mme Dubée also reported, on Saturday evening, six arrests at the end of this rally which brought together 4,000 people, according to her (10,000, according to the organizers). She indicated the presence of “400 very violent black bloc and activist profiles”as well as “Molotov cocktail jets, mortar fire, high explosives, projectiles”.

With an area of ​​several hectares to cover through cereal fields, the 1,500 mobilized gendarmes had difficulty containing the crowd, in which hundreds of masked or hooded activists rubbed shoulders with families and many retirees.

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Sainte-Soline is the second basin of a project of sixteen substitution reserves developed by a group of 400 farmers united in the Coop de l’eau, to “refusing 70% of samples in summer”in this region still subject to irrigation restrictions after an extraordinary summer drought.

These reserves are open-air craters, covered with plastic sheeting and filled by pumping water from surface groundwater in winter. ElIes can store up to 650,000 cubic meters of water (260 Olympic swimming pools) to irrigate during the summer.

The World with AFP

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