The situation is very tense in Lorient this March 23 for this new day of demonstration against the pension reform. The police station and the sub-prefecture have been degraded. Early fires were contained by firefighters.
“Unacceptable attacks and degradations against the sub-prefecture and the Lorient police station” expresses Gérald Darmanin this March 23 shortly before 2 p.m. on Twitter. The ground floor of the sub-prefecture was attacked, degraded. The police station suffered a fire and an attempted intrusion.
The Minister of the Interior reacts to this start of fire at the police station, and this attempted storming by hooded activists on the sidelines of the demonstration against the pension reform.
7,200 demonstrators were counted and many overflows occurred throughout the morning, declares the prefecture of Morbihan. “45 police officers reinforced by soldiers from the gendarmerie had to face aggressive individuals with the desire to degrade and do battle with the police”.
The fire is present inside and outside the courtyard of the police station. Pauline Decker, reporter for Ouest-France, says the clashes have lasted for more than two hours. The clashes began around 11 a.m.
Linda Kebab, police officer and union delegate, claims that police officers are injured following this attack. “Chaos in Rennes and Lorient where bullies take advantage of the demonstration to violently attack the police”.
After the intervention of firefighters and police, the fire at the police station was brought under control. The damage is significant. Many windows were shattered by projectiles.
In front of the sub-prefecture, the images also show strong tension. In front of a crowd of demonstrators, strong black smoke escapes from the entrance to the sub-prefecture. This scene was captured and broadcast late morning.
On twitter, an image turns. The flames in front of the sub-prefecture come from a burnt mannequin on a scaffold.
The fire is under control. Following these degradations, 4 people were arrested, indicates a police source.
Read : Direct. Pension reform and strike of March 23. Tensions in several cities
The prefecture states that “neither the police station nor the sub-prefecture of Lorient experienced any intrusion during these events“. The situation was restored by the police and gendarmes at the end of the morning.
The prefect expresses himself in a press release on this day of demonstration. “The abuses committed, attacks and degradations in particular against the police station and the sub-prefecture of Lorient, are unacceptable”.
Like the Minister of the Interior, the prefect brings “all its support for the police and gendarmes injured during the events of this day and salutes the work of the police, the firefighters, the road agents of the DIR Ouest and the department of Morbihan, and the municipal police involved to deal with these events.