The second demonstration against the construction of mega-basins, which
took place in Sainte-Soline on March 25, 2023, brought together 30,000
people, but was violently repressed by law enforcement: more than 200
people were injured by a barrage of grenades. The repression continued
with arbitrary arrests and trials against activists. At the same time,
complaints filed regarding four serious injuries remained unanswered.
The struggle against mega-basins nevertheless continued, and several of
them, such as the one in Sainte-Soline, were declared illegal.
The mobilizations that have taken place since "Sainte-Soline 2" have
shown that repression has not stopped the anti-mega-basin movement.
Successes include the "water convoy"-by bike from Sainte-Soline to
Paris-co-organized by the Soulèvements de la Terre (SDLT), Bassines non
merci! (BNM), and the Confédération paysanne (Farmers' Confederation)
during the summer of 2023; or the "water village" in Melle, a BNM
initiative supported by around a hundred organizations, including the
SDLT (see box), and the demonstrations in Migné-Auxances and La Rochelle
during the summer of 2024.
The "commemorations" called for by BNM for the "2nd anniversary of
Sainte-Soline" on March 25, 2025, brought together several hundred
people in Poitiers, Rennes, and Melle, while more symbolic actions took
place elsewhere. In Melle, the procession went to the gendarmerie to pay
tribute to the victims of police action that day, placing 200 candles
forming the words "No Bassaran" at the feet of the gendarmes stationed
in front of the building. In Poitiers, the procession went to the
barracks for various actions targeting resource-grabbing policies that
generate wars and destroy ecosystems. In Rennes, the rally took place in
front of the Marguerite barracks, where the regional gendarmerie command
and the general inspectorate of the Brittany gendarmerie are located, in
charge of the investigation into police violence and the blocking of
emergency services at Sainte-Soline. 200 candles symbolizing the 200
injured were also placed there.
It is noteworthy that, for the second anniversary of "Sainte-Soline,"
the SDLT (Social Liberties and Labour) left center stage to BNM
(National Military Police). The SDLT were, it is true, threatened with
dissolution for having called for this demonstration, and two of their
spokespersons, Joan Monga and Nicolas Garrigues, as well as Julien Le
Guet of BNM 79 (1), were sentenced to suspended prison sentences of
between 6 and 12 months on 17 January 2024. Joan Monga was again
prosecuted along with Léna Lazare, another SDLT spokesperson, under the
unprecedented pretext of not having appeared before a summons before the
parliamentary commission of inquiry into the "violence that occurred in
Sainte-Soline". Both were acquitted on 17 January 2025, but this
successive judicial pressure may have encouraged the SDLT to focus their
"season 8" on other struggles and to emphasize their playful aspect.
From March 28th to 30th, the SDLT co-organized with the Stop Micro
collective an international conference in Grenoble and a "festive
demonstration" against the monopolization of resources by digital
industries and "connected living" (see this issue of CA).
Denunciations of police repression also included statements from victims
and their loved ones, as well as from groups fighting to defend water. A
joint statement from Serge's parents, Mickaël, Olivier, and Alix was
read out in these three cities. Entitled "We will not let silence cover
the police violence in Sainte-Soline," it recalls that the public
prosecutor has still not followed up on the complaints filed shortly
after "Sainte-Soline 2," including for attempted murder and willfully
obstructing the arrival of emergency services. He launched expert
assessments in early April 2023 into the "circumstances of the most
serious injuries caused by law enforcement" during the demonstration,
and their findings were submitted to him in December 2024.
The objective of the "commemorations" was also to celebrate progress in
the fight against mega-basins and in the debate on water management in
France. Some projects have been canceled by the courts; the construction
of four basins, including the one in Sainte-Soline, has been suspended.
However, these "victories" must be put into perspective: the
Sainte-Soline basin was not declared illegal because of the water waste
it causes, but because of the threat it poses to biodiversity. Moreover,
the Probassine camp - to which the government belongs - is attempting
counterattacks. We already know that the Sainte-Soline and Saint-Sauvant
projects could be revived through exemptions; the Prefect of Vienne has
approved six projects in the Clouère basin and wants to increase the
number of basins he deems "acceptable"...
Aware of these realities, BNM concluded its "We celebrated everything"
report regarding the "commemorations" with: "We therefore call for the
continuation and intensification of the struggle, for the multiplication
of actions of all kinds against the progress of the projects, for the
strengthening of ties between movements at all levels, for the demand
for a moratorium on basins, and for the joint promotion of shared water
management and an agricultural model that respects resources and living
things."»
OCL-Poitou
Note
1. He has just been acquitted on appeal for lack of evidence, concerning
graffiti painted during a gathering in front of the Niort gendarmerie on
May 1, 2023, which Colonel Vestieu attributed to him: "For Serge and the
200 injured at Sainte-Soline: Dubée, Vestieu, Darmanin in prison."
https://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4433
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
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took place in Sainte-Soline on March 25, 2023, brought together 30,000
people, but was violently repressed by law enforcement: more than 200
people were injured by a barrage of grenades. The repression continued
with arbitrary arrests and trials against activists. At the same time,
complaints filed regarding four serious injuries remained unanswered.
The struggle against mega-basins nevertheless continued, and several of
them, such as the one in Sainte-Soline, were declared illegal.
The mobilizations that have taken place since "Sainte-Soline 2" have
shown that repression has not stopped the anti-mega-basin movement.
Successes include the "water convoy"-by bike from Sainte-Soline to
Paris-co-organized by the Soulèvements de la Terre (SDLT), Bassines non
merci! (BNM), and the Confédération paysanne (Farmers' Confederation)
during the summer of 2023; or the "water village" in Melle, a BNM
initiative supported by around a hundred organizations, including the
SDLT (see box), and the demonstrations in Migné-Auxances and La Rochelle
during the summer of 2024.
The "commemorations" called for by BNM for the "2nd anniversary of
Sainte-Soline" on March 25, 2025, brought together several hundred
people in Poitiers, Rennes, and Melle, while more symbolic actions took
place elsewhere. In Melle, the procession went to the gendarmerie to pay
tribute to the victims of police action that day, placing 200 candles
forming the words "No Bassaran" at the feet of the gendarmes stationed
in front of the building. In Poitiers, the procession went to the
barracks for various actions targeting resource-grabbing policies that
generate wars and destroy ecosystems. In Rennes, the rally took place in
front of the Marguerite barracks, where the regional gendarmerie command
and the general inspectorate of the Brittany gendarmerie are located, in
charge of the investigation into police violence and the blocking of
emergency services at Sainte-Soline. 200 candles symbolizing the 200
injured were also placed there.
It is noteworthy that, for the second anniversary of "Sainte-Soline,"
the SDLT (Social Liberties and Labour) left center stage to BNM
(National Military Police). The SDLT were, it is true, threatened with
dissolution for having called for this demonstration, and two of their
spokespersons, Joan Monga and Nicolas Garrigues, as well as Julien Le
Guet of BNM 79 (1), were sentenced to suspended prison sentences of
between 6 and 12 months on 17 January 2024. Joan Monga was again
prosecuted along with Léna Lazare, another SDLT spokesperson, under the
unprecedented pretext of not having appeared before a summons before the
parliamentary commission of inquiry into the "violence that occurred in
Sainte-Soline". Both were acquitted on 17 January 2025, but this
successive judicial pressure may have encouraged the SDLT to focus their
"season 8" on other struggles and to emphasize their playful aspect.
From March 28th to 30th, the SDLT co-organized with the Stop Micro
collective an international conference in Grenoble and a "festive
demonstration" against the monopolization of resources by digital
industries and "connected living" (see this issue of CA).
Denunciations of police repression also included statements from victims
and their loved ones, as well as from groups fighting to defend water. A
joint statement from Serge's parents, Mickaël, Olivier, and Alix was
read out in these three cities. Entitled "We will not let silence cover
the police violence in Sainte-Soline," it recalls that the public
prosecutor has still not followed up on the complaints filed shortly
after "Sainte-Soline 2," including for attempted murder and willfully
obstructing the arrival of emergency services. He launched expert
assessments in early April 2023 into the "circumstances of the most
serious injuries caused by law enforcement" during the demonstration,
and their findings were submitted to him in December 2024.
The objective of the "commemorations" was also to celebrate progress in
the fight against mega-basins and in the debate on water management in
France. Some projects have been canceled by the courts; the construction
of four basins, including the one in Sainte-Soline, has been suspended.
However, these "victories" must be put into perspective: the
Sainte-Soline basin was not declared illegal because of the water waste
it causes, but because of the threat it poses to biodiversity. Moreover,
the Probassine camp - to which the government belongs - is attempting
counterattacks. We already know that the Sainte-Soline and Saint-Sauvant
projects could be revived through exemptions; the Prefect of Vienne has
approved six projects in the Clouère basin and wants to increase the
number of basins he deems "acceptable"...
Aware of these realities, BNM concluded its "We celebrated everything"
report regarding the "commemorations" with: "We therefore call for the
continuation and intensification of the struggle, for the multiplication
of actions of all kinds against the progress of the projects, for the
strengthening of ties between movements at all levels, for the demand
for a moratorium on basins, and for the joint promotion of shared water
management and an agricultural model that respects resources and living
things."»
OCL-Poitou
Note
1. He has just been acquitted on appeal for lack of evidence, concerning
graffiti painted during a gathering in front of the Niort gendarmerie on
May 1, 2023, which Colonel Vestieu attributed to him: "For Serge and the
200 injured at Sainte-Soline: Dubée, Vestieu, Darmanin in prison."
https://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4433
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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