Several thousand opponents of an agricultural basin project demonstrated on Saturday October 29 and Sunday October 30 in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres), in the presence of several environmental political figures including Yannick Jadot. A visit that clearly displeased some activists: the car in which the candidate of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) for the presidency went there, in the company of the deputy Charles Fournier, was tagged with the word “crack”, as shown in images from BFMTV. An act that reacted on the left on Sunday.
THE INQUIRY – “Crevure”: the car borrowed by Yannick Jadot vandalized by demonstrators in Sainte-Soline ( @NelsonGetten ) pic.twitter.com/dPjBzTso2F
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) October 29, 2022
In Sainte-Soline, Yannick Jadot also suffered whistles during a speech, and had a heated argument with an activist claiming to be “the ultra-left”, in front of the cameras of BFMTV. Commenting on the inscription aimed at him, he criticized “those who play the division”.
“EELV unreservedly condemns the acts of violence committed by protesters against Yannick Jadot and Charles Fournier”wrote the two deputy national secretaries of the party in a press release, Sunday at the end of the day. “The environmental fight is non-violent, and nothing can justify insults or degradation”.
Questioned a few hours earlier on BFMTV, EELV deputy Sandrine Rousseau had judged that the tags targeting the elected official did not “not so much to advance the debate”. “That said, Yannick Jadot must understand that we need to rediscover an ecology of fight”has followed the one who was also present in Sainte-Soline on Saturday.
This reaction was criticized by several figures of the left and environmentalists. “I do not understand that a political leader can insinuate that militants were right to attack his vehicle”reacted the deputy of La France insoumise Aymeric Caron on Twitter. The climate specialist François Gemenne reproached him, on this same social networkof “Legitimize this violence” and wear a “authoritarian political project”.
I am opposed to the line of @yjadot. In favor of civil disobedience, I campaign for radical ecology. However, I do not understand how a politician can insinuate that militants were right to attack his vehicle. This is not serious. https://t.co/6zZs8KN7Lj
— Aymeric Caron (@CaronAymericoff) October 30, 2022
The way in which you legitimize this violence against your political opponent says a lot about the deep nature of your person and your authoritarian political project, @sandrousseau. https://t.co/TxXxhcivXi
— Francois Gemenne (@Gemenne) October 30, 2022
Sunday evening, Sandrine Rousseau once again commented on the tag targeting her ex-competitor in the environmental primary: “Yannick Jadot did not have to be insulted”she wrote on Twitter, relaying the press release from EELV.
Ecology is non-violent. One can be challenged for political positions but not insulted.
Yannick Jadot did not have to be insulted. https://t.co/QNNy7jelpb— Sandrine Rousseau (@sandrousseau) October 30, 2022