“It’s an ecological 49.3 on the basins”, estimates an opponent on the eve of a mobilization

At a time of drought in winter, basin projects, these water reservoirs intended for the irrigation of certain farms in summer, are more than ever in the hot seat. The collective Bassines non merci, the Uprisings of the earth and the Peasant Confederation call for a festive rally, Saturday, in Poitou, to protest against these water grabbing projects.

More than 50 local and national organizations will participate and many local elected officials, including ecologists and France Insoumise, have announced their arrival in Poitou Charente. At the same time, the Vienne prefecture issued decrees, in particular to prohibit demonstrations on the perimeters around the basins of Sainte-Soline and Mauzé-sur-le-Mignon.

Tractors and collective convoys throughout the west

Tractors and other agricultural machinery from Vienne, Haute-Vienne, Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique will converge on Lusignan, a town in Vienne on the edge of Deux-Sèvres. “Afterwards, we organize a rally at the camp area so that they can be present on site for the demonstration the next day, on Saturday, in a place that has not yet been communicated”, specifies Nicolas Girod, spokesperson for the Peasant Confederation.

The prefecture has issued a series of decrees to ban demonstrations around the two basins in the sector, “in view of the violence and destruction observed during the last actions of the same groups and in order to avoid any risk of disturbance to public order”. , announces the prefect of Vienne, in a press release. The prefect also announced “a strengthening of the presence of the gendarmerie, day and night, with an intensification of patrols”.

Provisions which are far from intimidating organizers, one of whose spokespersons has been placed under judicial control. He had already been there before the mobilization in October in Sainte-Soline, the organizers say they are “used to it”. On Saturday, opponents of water reserves are called to gather from 10 am. “We try to guide them to get them collectively to the site, explains Nicolas Girod. Car convoys are organized from several towns in western France. “An Info line with live directions will also inform people about the sectors where things are blocking, adds the spokesperson for the Confédération Paysanne. We want everyone who wants to demonstrate to be able to do so in safety. »

From 15 to 30,000 people expected

“What is certain is that we will be even more numerous than the last time in Sainte-Soline, assures Nicolas Girod. We set ourselves between 15,000 and 30,000 people as our objective”. The climatic context goes in this direction since there is “an emergency that everyone visualizes”, in particular with the drought which raged in the middle of winter and the worrying level of the water tables. “There is also a convergence of social and ecological backgrounds,” he adds. Somewhere, we cannot accept living an ecological 49.3 on the basins because that is what is happening here. There is a denial of democracy and all discussions are rejected. »

From Friday evening, debates on water in the presence of international delegations will be organized and after the big demonstration on Saturday, concerts will follow in the evening, still in Melles. And finally Sunday, the day is devoted to exchanges, debates in particular on the policy of water and industrial agriculture. Around the site of the demonstration, not yet communicated, gestures of civil disobedience and example of peasant agriculture could also emerge.

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