gatherings banned in 17 municipalities in Tarn until Monday

All gatherings are prohibited from the evening of Wednesday June 5 and until Monday evening, in the 17 municipalities of Tarn on the route of the A69, according to a prefectural decree. This follows the announcement of the ban on mobilization against this highway project, planned for the weekend.

According to this decree, the prefect of Tarn, Michel Vilbois, justifies this ban in particular by “the support of associations and groups known for their violent modes of action” at the planned rally against the future Castres-Toulouse highway. He also recalls that, since September 2022, the mobilization against the A69 “gives rise to repeated and increasingly serious disturbances to public order” and that the planned gathering is “organized near sensitive places (…) and that their degradation could delay and hinder the progress of the construction site”.

The ban on gatherings took effect from 8 p.m. on Wednesday, in the municipalities along the highway route, including Castres and Puylaurens. The town is home to the base of Atosca teams, concessionaire of the A69 and operator of the site, and one of the two “hot bituminous mix plants”, which will be set up temporarily to produce the 500,000 tonnes of highway surfacing.