“Unheard of”… Why did the gendarmes destroy the equipment of the party-fighters with ax?

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The pictures speak for themselves. Mobile gendarmerie units surround arbors where amplifiers, computers and loudspeakers are stored. With an ax or a sledgehammer, the police destroy sound equipment while others cut the canvases of the arbors with a cutter. This scene took place on Saturday afternoon in Redon, in Ille-et-Vilaine, where a teknival had been organized since Friday evening.

The day before, violent clashes had opposed the revelers to the police, who sought to put an end to this rally in tribute to Steve Maia Caniço, who drowned during a police charge on the sidelines of the 2019 Music Festival. In Nantes. Friday evening, several chirkers were injured, some gendarmes also. A 22-year-old man had his hand torn off, presumably while attempting to return a tear gas canister. Two days after this evacuation, the organizers expressed their anger. But above all their incomprehension in the face of this destruction which was obviously carried out illegally.

Anger, amazement and disgust. Two days after the party which brought together around 1,500 people on Friday evening in Redon, some revelers have retained the scars of this night of celebration. The features under the eyes are marked by lack of sleep. A man in his 20s is still hospitalized after losing his hand in nightly clashes on Friday night. Beyond the men and women, it is also the material that has suffered from this supposedly festive weekend. On Saturday, the gendarmes decided to destroy part of it, without anyone really understanding why. “We had no dialogue. The only goal was to destroy. I’ve never seen that. Neither in France, nor even in Europe, ”regrets Victor Lacroix, representative of the Media’Son association. ” It’s a shame. It’s incredibly violent just for people dancing, ”adds another participant. The damage is difficult to establish but could amount to between 100,000 and 200,000 euros. Equipment such as generators had even been rented from certain brands in the region.

If the gathering was prohibited because of a prefectural decree, it is the method of intervention that challenges. Especially since at the time of the operation to destroy the gendarmes, the music had ceased, as requested by the prefect Emmanuel Berthier. “I have been defending them for years. This is the first time that I see that ”, summarizes Me Marianne Rostan. The lawyer is categorical: the action of the police was carried out illegally. “Only seizures are authorized. The destruction of property can only take place on the order of the prosecutor, and only if they are considered dangerous, ”summarizes Me Rostan.

Contacted, the Rennes public prosecutor said “that no instruction from the Rennes public prosecutor’s office has been given beyond” the seizure of certain property. The list of confiscated goods is however short: “a turntable, three mixers and three amplifiers”. Contacted, the prefecture of Ille-et-Vilaine refuses to speak, lining up behind the electoral reserve. The local gendarmerie is no more talkative. As for the national authorities, they are obviously struggling to explain the operation. “During the evacuation, the gendarmes carried out a complex maneuver which, once started, had to be executed quickly to ensure the safety of people,” explains a source familiar with the matter. The gendarmes wanted to prevent people from falling into the water or new clashes breaking out. But why go after the hardware?

“During the maneuver, there may have been broken equipment, damage. But the litigation can be reimbursed, ”we say on the side of the gendarmerie.

In a tweet published on Saturday, several photos show the damaged goods that were seized. “It’s destroying in order to destroy”, regret the organizers. Their images also contradict the version of the gendarmes, who seem to work in peace, under the disillusioned gaze of several witnesses.

The organizers will file a complaint

The organizers do not intend to stop there and announce their willingness to file a complaint for damage. “We have the impression of facing a democracy of force, a strategy of terror. As if we wanted to send a message to young people, to dissuade them from starting over, ”adds Victor Lacroix. Before adding. “But the parties are not going to stop”. Used to defending sound systems, lawyer Marianne Rostan says she is worried. “We have the impression of going back fifteen years. There is a growing tension between the participants and the police and we have clearly crossed a milestone this weekend. I wonder what it will look like in the future ”.

Three investigations were opened to try to shed light on the clashes that occurred on Friday and the serious injury of one of the participants.





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