The Rural Coordination, a union of which one of the leaders participated in the illegal construction of the Caussade dam, criticizes the elected environmentalist for her commitment against the “mega-basins” in the Deux-Sèvres.
Dozens of Rural Coordination activists came to disrupt, Tuesday, March 28 in Marmande, the start of a two-day trip to Lot-et-Garonne by the national secretary of Europe Ecology-The Greens Marine Tondelier. The second agricultural union, one of whose local leaders was sentenced for the illegal construction of the Caussade dam, warned her in a statement on Monday that she was not “not welcome”after having “sown violence, hatred and desolation” by participating in the banned gathering against “megabasins” on Saturday in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres).
Tuesday morning, 150 to 200 of these activists were waiting for the environmentalist leader at Marmande station, according to police and union sources. Marine Tondelier did not finally arrive until the beginning of the afternoon after having canceled a first visit on the theme of health and joined the demonstration against the pension reform.
“They have a lot more prejudices about us than we have about them”
Despite the protection of gendarmes and plainclothes police, she was only able to advance a few tens of meters before being blocked by activists from the agricultural union who threatened to throw slurry at her. She tried in vain to talk to some of them and turned back after being insulted. “It hurts my heart because I am someone open, a Democrat, a Republican. I have always been for dialogue”she told reporters.
“It makes no sense. They have a lot more prejudices about us than we have about them (…) They make the wrong enemies, they don’t want to discuss, don’t want to hear, they are at an impasse”she added, now following her trip to the States General of Ecology launched by the party, even if the meeting places have been changed.
The Minister of Agriculture condemns
“She is not welcome, she knows it, we told her, she wants to come, we are waiting for her”had launched just before his arrival Karine Duc, co-president of the Rural Coordination. “She represents what we don’t want (…) She is only in deconstruction and above all without a solution for us and for all the others (…) Let her stay in her office and let her don’t come here to annoy us”she added.
Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau condemned the intimidation. “It is not admissible, under any circumstances and under cover of any cause, to justify intimidation, threats to persons and property, disrespect for the law, democratic life and expression. Never. Otherwise, violence will be the law and the law”he reacted on Twitter.