Construction machinery from the ATOSCA company began work this morning in Vendine in Haute-Garonne on the area where the A69 motorway is to pass. The citizen collective La Voie est libre is expelled and asked to dismantle its camp. Thomas Brail, an activist climber from Tarn, was taken into custody.
The citizen collective There way is free who is against the highway Castres-Toulouse is dislodged. Activists must dismantle their camp as soon as possible.
Dealer construction machinery ATOSCA arrived this morning to begin earthworks in this area.
Thomas Brail, an activist climber from the Tarn was taken into custody this Wednesday, May 24. Below, the video shot by our France 3 Occitanie team of his arrest by the gendarmes.
video duration: 00h00mn51s
The arrest of activist Thomas Brail.
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©Ftv
After negotiating Tuesday, May 23 with the police and obtaining permission to stay in place, the anti-motorway collective does not understand this change in the situation.
While we had negotiated yesterday with the police and obtained authorization to remain in place in limited numbers, the concessionaire decided to set fire to the powder, playing the card of confrontation, contrary to the attitude constructive from the prosecutor.
Citizen collective The way is free
In a press release, ATOSCA specifies that “the construction of the A69 continues”.
“ATOSCA has started preparation work for the earthworks in Vendine, the phase necessary to draw the route of the motorway. Faced with obstacles led by a few people, the gendarmerie intervened today to allow the work to proceed smoothly. At this time only land not affected by the motorway remains occupied. In accordance with the environmental authorization issued on March 1, work is continuing in order to complete the construction of the A69 motorway recognized as being of public interest”.
According to France Nature Environnement, it is “a violation of the right to environmental information”.
“The environmental authorization order of 1er March 2023 requires the company ATOSCA to send the provisional schedule of the works and the implementation of the avoidance, reduction and compensation measures 15 days before the start of the works”.
The citizen collective The way is free, which would prefer to develop the RN 126 for the general interest, has an appointment tomorrow, Thursday, May 25, with the office of the Minister of Transport.