Charente-Maritime Prefect Extends Ban on Demonstrations in the Center of La Rochelle

The prefect of Charente-Maritime signed a new decree on Thursday, July 18, to extend the ban on anti-bassine demonstrations to the center of La Rochelle, reports France Bleu La Rochelle. The decree states that demonstrations will be banned from 6 a.m. Saturday morning and for 24 hours.

“There is no question of seeing violence in the city centre of La Rochelle on a day when there are a lot of tourists”said Brice Blondel, the department’s prefect. On Wednesday, the prefect had banned access to the major seaport of La Rochelle. The prefectures of Vienne and Deux-Sèvres also prohibit gatherings.

The collectives “Bassines Non Merci”, “Soulèvements de la Terre” and “Stop Mégabassines” have announced the organization of an international mobilization from July 16 to 21 in Poitou-Charentes, with the town of Melle (near Sainte-Soline, in Deux-Sèvres) as the epicentre of the protest. More than 4,500 opponents of the megabassines are already gathered on Thursday at the “Village de l’eau” in Deux-Sèvres.

According to the authorities, who fear violence during banned demonstrations, “10% black blocs” are present. More than 3,000 gendarmes are mobilized around the town of Melle. This international mobilization comes more than a year after the clashes between radical demonstrators and law enforcement in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres) at the end of March 2023.