court suspends use of drones to monitor protest against highway project

The decree of the Eure prefecture taken on Wednesday May 3 to authorize the use of drones by the police, in order to secure this weekend a rally against a project to bypass the East Rouen motorway, in Léry (Eure) was suspended this Friday by the administrative court of the Norman city, according to a decision that franceinfo was able to consult.

The initial decree of the Eure prefecture authorized the use of two airborne cameras to monitor the festival “Sticks in the Roads”organized by the collectives “No to the A133-134” And “Earth Uprisings”, from Friday at 6 p.m. to Monday at 2 p.m. An interim relief was then filed in particular by the Association for the Defense of Constitutional Freedoms, the Union of Lawyers of France and the Union of the Judiciary.

According to the court’s decision, the prefect’s decree is suspended due to “the absence of detailed information on possible serious disturbances to public order due to targeted actions by some of the festival-goers or isolated individuals who would join the gathering”. “It results from the instruction (…) that this festival is presented as a festival with the appearance of camp-action at the same time family, festive, naturalistic, instructive and determined”continues the decision, continuing that “families and children are welcome”.

“The prefect takes note of this decision”reacted this Friday in a press release the prefecture of Eure. “No overflow can be tolerated. State services will be fully mobilized throughout the weekend to guarantee everyone’s safety and provide an appropriate response to any overflow”she finishes.

According to information from franceinfo, between 1,000 and 1,500 people are expected on site all weekend, including around a hundred radical elements, according to an estimate by territorial intelligence. The eastern Rouen bypass project comprises 41.5 kilometers of track between the A13 to the south and the A28 to the north. The highways will cross many agricultural lands, natural areas including the Bord forest and pass near homes.