six to twelve months suspended prison sentence required for protest leaders

The Niort criminal court put its decision concerning the nine defendants under advisement until January 17.

“Freedom of expression” Or “climate of terror” ? Eight months after the violent clashes between environmental activists and the police, six to twelve months suspended prison sentences were requested, Tuesday, November 28, against nine defendants, suspected of having organized prohibited demonstrations against “basins” in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres). The Niort criminal court has reserved its decision until January 17.

This marathon hearing of almost 14 hours allowed the parties to develop their arguments, between the right to demonstrate and “trauma” farmers targeted by degradation, between support for irrigation and concern for the imminence of “climatic hell”.

Finding a “balance between freedom of expression and social cohesion”

Prosecutor Julien Wattebled asked the court to “find a balance between freedom of expression and the maintenance of social cohesion”while describing a department where “fear has reigned for too long”. “Our role is to say stop, because we have had announcements of bidding wars since this summer which tell you that it will be even stronger”he said, while an upcoming anti-“basins” is announced next July in Poitou, just before the Paris Olympic Games.

He portrayed Julien Le Guet, spokesperson for the “Bassines non merci” collective, as being “at the heart of the organization”, requesting against him 12 months suspended prison sentence, a fine of 2,100 euros and a ban on approaching the reserves of Sainte-Soline and Mauzé-sur-le-Mignon. The prosecution, castigating a “climate of terror”, also requested an eight-month suspended sentence against Joan Monga, alias Basile Dutertre, and six months against Nicolas Garrigues, alias Benoît Feuillu. They are both activists of the Earth Uprisings, a collective whose dissolution requested by the Ministry of the Interior was canceled on November 9 by the Council of State.

Fines and various banning measures were requested against the six other defendants. In front of the court, dozens of demonstrators came to support the defendants, who had denied in September having been the organizers of the gatherings in Sainte-Soline. Around a hundred people then gathered at the “bassine” of Oulmes (Vendée), according to the gendarmerie, who did not report any damage.