“Desperate calls” from certain merchants. Here is the content of a letter sent this week to the Prefecture of Moselle. Signed by the federation of merchants of Metz, the union of trades in the hotel industry of Moselle (Umih 57) and by the chamber of commerce and industry, it alerts the authorities to the difficult cohabitation between anti-pass protests and businesses. No incident to report, simply a drop in attendance observed for 26 weeks by Christophe Thiriet, president of Umih 57, guest of France Bleu Lorraine this Friday morning. “We can clearly see that on Saturday, which is a very important day, the turnover achieved is very different from a day when there is no event.“
The solution ? no longer manifest
To save the furniture, and the 3,500 jobs affected, Christophe Thiriet is considering a radical solution: less or even no more demonstrations at all. “We must stop making demonstrations every Saturday. Freedom is doing what does not harm others. Demonstrating is a right, but the right to trade is also a right.“, he justifies. “The demonstrators must understand that we cannot resolve their situation, that it is not we who will make the decisions.”
Solutions have to be found and Christophe Thiriet has some ideas. “Extend the frequencies, maybe 1 time out of 3 or 1 time out of 4, find other routes.“Another route had already been tested last autumn, but the solution had been only slightly effective according to the president of Umih 57, since it blocked access to the city center. Result: customers got a again redirected to shopping centers on the outskirts. “We can clearly see that consumption works since our friends from Muse and Waves work.“