Week-long road convoy protest against 'méga-bassines' in south west France
A 'water convoy' organised in protest against an irrigation project begins on Friday, with organisers hoping to attract up to 1,000 cyclists and 30 tractors for their week-long journey between south-west France and Paris.
The group departs on Friday morning from Lezay in the Deux-Sèvres département in western France, with 500 to 1,000 cyclists, as well as 10 to 30 tractors, set join in the convoy, which will move in several stages, each covering about 50 to 60 kilometres.
The convoy is expected to reach Tours on Tuesday and Blois on Wednesday, August 23rd. On Friday, August 25th, it will also pass by the city of Orléans, where they will protest against funding for the méga-bassines at the water company headquarters for the Loire-Bretagne area.
The group is expected to reach Paris on Saturday, August 26th, where protesters plan to stay for two days, potentially meeting in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, according to reports by Le Parisien.
The protest is against the controversial irrigation project known as the 'méga-bassines' in Saint Soline, south west France. The site has previously been the site of seriously clashes between police and protesters which left one man in a coma.
Méga-bassines: Why has a protest over irrigation in French farmland turned so violent?
Organisers of the convoy said their intention is to avoid confrontation with law enforcement during this protest, and that passing by Sainte-Soline will only be to "survey the progress of the méga-bassines".
Activists have also told French media that this demonstration will be "festive", with workshops, film screenings and music planned.
Laurence Marandola, national spokeswoman for the Confédération paysanne (a union representing those in the agriculture industry), told France Bleu that the convoy will involve families with children, and that it will prioritse smaller roads, "to avoid hindering traffic on major routes".
Why is there controversy around the méga-bassines?
Protests against the méga-bassines - a planned network of 16 giant (around 600,000 cubic metres) underwater storage areas which farmers can use for irrigation in the event of a drought - have been going on in several different forms for over a year.
Even though the project is backed by over 400 local farmers, it is controversial because environmentalists say the mega-basins damage valuable wetland areas - the west of France has several wetland areas that shelter a wide variety of wildlife and the area is also known for salt marshes that produce a highly prized fleur de sel.
The protesters also say that the water tanks drain water from natural groundwater supplies and therefore make droughts worse for local residents and smaller farmers - essentially they see the basins as a 'water theft' from locals by big agri-businesses.
There have been several spates of large-scale protests against the méga-bassines, including those in October 2022 and March 2023. Both involved several thousand protesters clashing with a large police presence, originally intended to try to stop activists from creating a ZAD (Zone à défendre) - a type of permanent protest camp - next to the basin site in Sainte-Soline.
In March, several demonstrators were injured, with two put in critical condition, meanwhile 29 police officers were injured.
Despite the protests, construction has begun on the basins, which are heavily guarded.
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The group departs on Friday morning from Lezay in the Deux-Sèvres département in western France, with 500 to 1,000 cyclists, as well as 10 to 30 tractors, set join in the convoy, which will move in several stages, each covering about 50 to 60 kilometres.
The convoy is expected to reach Tours on Tuesday and Blois on Wednesday, August 23rd. On Friday, August 25th, it will also pass by the city of Orléans, where they will protest against funding for the méga-bassines at the water company headquarters for the Loire-Bretagne area.
The group is expected to reach Paris on Saturday, August 26th, where protesters plan to stay for two days, potentially meeting in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, according to reports by Le Parisien.
The protest is against the controversial irrigation project known as the 'méga-bassines' in Saint Soline, south west France. The site has previously been the site of seriously clashes between police and protesters which left one man in a coma.
Méga-bassines: Why has a protest over irrigation in French farmland turned so violent?
Organisers of the convoy said their intention is to avoid confrontation with law enforcement during this protest, and that passing by Sainte-Soline will only be to "survey the progress of the méga-bassines".
Activists have also told French media that this demonstration will be "festive", with workshops, film screenings and music planned.
Laurence Marandola, national spokeswoman for the Confédération paysanne (a union representing those in the agriculture industry), told France Bleu that the convoy will involve families with children, and that it will prioritse smaller roads, "to avoid hindering traffic on major routes".
Why is there controversy around the méga-bassines?
Protests against the méga-bassines - a planned network of 16 giant (around 600,000 cubic metres) underwater storage areas which farmers can use for irrigation in the event of a drought - have been going on in several different forms for over a year.
Even though the project is backed by over 400 local farmers, it is controversial because environmentalists say the mega-basins damage valuable wetland areas - the west of France has several wetland areas that shelter a wide variety of wildlife and the area is also known for salt marshes that produce a highly prized fleur de sel.
The protesters also say that the water tanks drain water from natural groundwater supplies and therefore make droughts worse for local residents and smaller farmers - essentially they see the basins as a 'water theft' from locals by big agri-businesses.
There have been several spates of large-scale protests against the méga-bassines, including those in October 2022 and March 2023. Both involved several thousand protesters clashing with a large police presence, originally intended to try to stop activists from creating a ZAD (Zone à défendre) - a type of permanent protest camp - next to the basin site in Sainte-Soline.
In March, several demonstrators were injured, with two put in critical condition, meanwhile 29 police officers were injured.
Despite the protests, construction has begun on the basins, which are heavily guarded.
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