Eco activists write on French golf course to denounce ‘water hoarding’
The golf course said it was following drought restrictions ‘to the letter’
A stock picture of a golf course being watered. Eco activists have demanded a ban on such activity when areas of France are under drought restrictions
Sura Nualpradid / Shutterstock
Ecological activists have attacked a golf course in the south of France and “denounced the hoarding of water” during a time of worsening drought.
The ANV-COP21 group wrote l’eau est un bien commun (water is a public good / water is a resource that belongs to everyone) on the golf course at the Golf Frégate Provence, in Bandol (Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) west of Toulon.
The 16 activists also laid out a message reading: La lutte des classes commence ici (Class struggle starts here).
They wrote on the ANV-COP21 Facebook page: “We denounce the hoarding of water for the private benefit of the privileged classes in times of drought.”
They said the Var department was in a period of drought and said the fact that golf courses are still allowed to water their grass outside of the hours of 08:00 and 20:00.
The activists said: “We demand a total ban on watering golf courses during drought alerts…and all other non-essential activities.”
The Var department has been on a state of drought alert since March, with water restrictions intensifying as the situation worsens.
Read more: How bad is the drought in France? See restrictions in your department
Read more: Water restrictions imposed in southeast France due to drought alert
Incomprehensible ‘golf-bashing’
In response to the action, the Golf Frégate Provence told the AFP news agency that it will make an official complaint.
Its director, Franck Le Blevec, said: “We are following the [water] restrictions to the letter.”
He said the golf course had an “authorised” water source, which did not come directly from the local groundwater table.
He added: “We are in a virtuous circle [to reduce water consumption] and we are saving water precisely because it is a public good. This ‘golf bashing’ is incomprehensible.”
Non-violent action
ANV-COP21 (Action non-violente) is, as its name suggests, known for these non-violent protests. Other recent movements include the taking down of portraits of President Emmanuel Macron from mairies, in a bid to call out what they call the government’s ‘climate inaction’.
They also took part in a blockade outside the HQ of fuel company TotalEnergies in May.
This weekend also saw action from climate change protesters elsewhere in France, including in Lille. Members of the group Extinction Rebellion threw paint, waved protest flags and formed a ‘human chain’ to draw authorities’ attention to what they called the “hydro emergency (urgence hydrique)”.
They stuck posters and threw blue paint on the walls of the buildings of the Métropole européenne de Lille and la Région Hauts-de-France, and unfurled a banner over the Mairie. Some chained themselves to the railings.
‘Malicious acts and damage’
The Nord prefecture said eight people were arrested for “illegal occupation of a public space without permission” and said they were “heard” and placed in police custody in the afternoon.
The Hauts-de-France region also said that it would make an official complaint “following the malicious acts and damage to the windows of the region's headquarters”.
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