The court ruled, and refused to withdraw subsidies from Alternatiba. Administrative justice rejected, on Thursday, a request from the prefect of Vienne aimed at withdrawing subsidies granted by the city and agglomeration of Poitiers to this environmental association, on the grounds that it had violated its republican commitment contract.
The two communities had paid 15,000 euros to this association for the organization, in September 2022, of a festival including a workshop devoted to civil disobedience, among other activities and conferences.
Opponents of “basins” had participated in the workshops
At the hearing on November 9, the representative of the prefecture pointed out the participation in this workshop of opponents of “basins”, a month and a half before a violent demonstration in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres) on the construction site. one of the disputed agricultural water reservoirs in Poitou.
“I see the correlation,” he said, denouncing “an unambiguous legitimization of radical ecology’s modes of action.” And, thereby, a violation of the republican commitment contract subscribed to by Alternatiba since the 2021 law known as “separatism”, like any association requesting public subsidies.
The festival “was not intended to incite” actions contrary to the law
In its judgment rendered Thursday, the administrative court of Poitiers specifies that an association only violates its contract “if it has undertaken or incited to undertake actions, not only manifestly contrary to the law, but also violent or likely to lead to harm. serious disturbances to public order”.
“Given the content of its varied program” relating to agriculture and the environment, the judges considered that the festival “did not generally aim to encourage” such actions, even if it included a workshop dedicated to civil disobedience.
Political twist between a Macronist prefect and the EELV mayor of Poitiers
Finally, if the hosts of a debate “claimed and encouraged actions of civil disobedience” in Sainte-Soline, these comments made by “people outside” Alternatiba cannot be attributed to them, the court ruled, ruling that There was therefore no reason to withdraw the subsidies.
This legal standoff between the EELV mayor of Poitiers Léonore Moncond’huy and the very Macronist prefect of Vienne Jean-Marie Girier had gone beyond the Poitevin framework, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin giving “perfectly right” to the second, there where the administrative judges found him wrong. The prefect took note of the judgment.