Same stadium, but certainly not the same atmosphere. One year after the smiles and the sweet words of Christophe Galtier before the final of the Coupe de France between Nantes and Nice, Emmanuel Macron finds the Stade de France, this Saturday. The inauguration’s enthusiasm for a second term, if it ever existed, seems a long way off. Pension reform and the trail of social discontent firmly hanging in its wake now accompany the President of the Republic wherever he goes. This weekend again on the occasion of this final between Nantes and Toulouse, an additional sign that sports competitions are a popular place to express one’s demands.
At least this time, Emmanuel Macron may be able to appreciate the novelty. In the absence of saucepans, whistles will be heard, in any case according to the promise of the CGT, which announced that it would distribute them at the same time as red cards at the exit of the RER and the metro. Proof of the ambient tension, this demonstration was the subject of a legal battle on Friday evening, after its ban by the Paris police headquarters. The inter-union indicated in the process that it would file an appeal before the administrative court.
on May 7, 2022 at the Stade de France. – JEE/SIPA
Whether this large gathering takes place or not, nearly 3,000 police and gendarmes will be mobilized around the Stade de France, as much for security issues following the fiasco of the Champions League final last year as to manage social mobilization when needed.
Embarrassed at the corners, the French Football Federation, which did not respond to our requests, will be forced to adapt. The Head of State will not go down on the lawn to greet the finalists before kick-off, as tradition dictates, and the Cup will be awarded in the stands. “If the Federation is annoyed, it is not with us that it is necessary to address but from the Elysée, objects Kamel Brahmi, secretary general of the CGT 93. It is the President who creates the disorder in n’ not listening to what the world of work tells him. We don’t want this reform. »
power outages
The FFF is not the only competition organizer to be forced to prepare for any eventuality. The next major events in the territory, Roland-Garros in May-June, the Tour de France in July and the Rugby World Cup in September-October are in the sights. Not to mention of course the 2024 Olympics, still far away but which are already shaping up to be a powerful lever in the balance of power, France playing there more than ever its image internationally. The hashtag #PasDeRetraitPasDeJO is already enjoying some success on social networks and has led to the first demining operations on the part of the Organizing Committee and the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, who called on potential demonstrators to “not not miss the target”.
As for the next few weeks, the burning social context has not escaped anyone, as have the threats of power cuts from CGT Energie, which clearly cited the Monaco Grand Prix and the Grand Slam tennis tournament in its press release announcing “100 days of anger and action”, published on April 21. The first implementation took place on Thursday evening, with the interruption for a good half hour of the Pro D2 rugby meeting between Agen and Nevers.
“The visibility of sport makes it an attractive forum”
Methods totally assumed by the unions. “It is harder today, for many reasons, to bring people together in a struggle, explains Kamel Brahmi. Suddenly, as the problems are still there but the means to be heard are more complicated to find, something else is happening: blockages, actions on the networks, elected officials who are being harassed. Attacking sports competitions is one of these new forms of action. »
We had already seen this last year, when activists from the “Last Renovation” collective, which fights against global warming through the energy renovation of housing, interrupted a semi-final of Roland-Garros then two stages of the Tower. In England, the Silverstone GP was also disrupted in early July by the intrusion of six members of the militant group “Just Stop Oil” on the circuit.
What makes sports such a popular target? “Sports competitions are a formidable sounding board, explains Igor Martinache, lecturer at the University of Paris Nanterre and one of whose research themes is the (de) politicization of physical and sporting activities. They are among the most watched events in the world, their visibility makes them an attractive platform. And then it makes it possible to reach a large audience since all strata of the population watch them. »
A search for exposure that activists obviously do not deny. “We do not act against these events, but they are very well attended and our objective is to disturb people where they are”, explains Quentin, member of “Dernière Rénovation”. In doing so, activists want to shock as many people as possible to end “our collective climate denial”. With all the same a small specificity 100% sport: that we finally realize that if we continue to burn the planet, these competitions which we hold so much are also doomed.
(Im)popularity
As for the risk of alienating people by spoiling their little pleasure, the question does not arise in these terms according to those concerned. “In the fight, there are always risks, believes Kamel Brahmi. Opinion is an element to be taken into account. We don’t forbid ourselves anything, but we think about the consequences of each action. »
“There is no calculation of popularity or unpopularity, we don’t do it for that,” continues Quentin. Most of us are attached to these events, we take no pleasure in blocking them. We do it because we have no choice but to create these balances of power. Sport has the great advantage of efficiency. “After the Tour last year, we talked a lot about thermal renovation of buildings, and even beyond our borders. This race also inspires other movements around the world. »
Tougher penalties for trespassing
Opposite, the organizers take the threat seriously. “We are watching this very carefully, recently acknowledged the director general of the French Tennis Federation Caroline Flaissier to AFP. We have activated a watch and a device adapted to the current context, flexible. For the next Roland-Garros, more than a thousand people will be in place to ensure reception and security. For its part, ASO, joined by 20 minutessimply ensures to prepare the Tour “in contact with the various authorities concerned”.
These are grouped under the aegis of the Major Events Coordination Unit (UCGE) of the Ministry of the Interior, which liaises between the organizing committees, various State services, foreign police and private security companies. Its role is to plan the appropriate system “according to the exposure of the event and the assessment of the threat”*.
Incidentally, the bill relating to the 2024 Olympics, definitively adopted this month, provides that intrusions on sports grounds are now considered offenses, punishable by prison sentences in the event of a repeat offense or intrusion ” in meeting “. “They do everything to limit this expression of protest as much as possible, notes the activist of “Dernière Rénovation”. But we won’t give up until we win. It’s a question of survival. »
For the unions as the militant associations, the aim of the maneuver is to disturb, not to prevent. They do not have the means anyway, believes Igor Martinache: “We have seen in recent years, with Nuit Debout or the Yellow Vests, there is a moment when we reach the limits of mobilization when there is no doesn’t have a solid organization behind it. The groups of protesters remain a minority and fragmented, too much in any case to really worry about the organization of such events. »
“To weigh, you still need structure”
Still, the current aggregation of struggles, between climate, human rights and social model, can trigger a new dynamic. Provided you know how to grasp the spontaneous movements that can arise here and there. “If it’s still unrest, those in power just have to wait for these knee-jerk reactions to pass. To weigh, you still need structure, ”said the CGT manager while preaching for his parish.
“We support all these forms of resistance, whatever the claims, adds our environmental activist. It makes us happy to see all these people who resort to civil disobedience. Our struggle must also serve to pave the way for others. The latter assures that his collective has not yet planned anything for the coming weeks. “Our actions are decided on the basis of opportunity. I don’t know if there will be, surely. And if it’s not us, it will be other people,” he says confidently. Summer promises to be hot, in every sense of the word.
* Contacted for more details on the role of the UCGE and the assessment of the threat in the current context, the Ministry of the Interior did not respond to our requests on Friday evening.