Eco-protest convoy of tractors and bikes to travel through France

A protest convoy of tractors and push bikes in opposition to ‘mega-water reservoirs’ in western France is set to begin its journey to Paris this week

The convoy will leave from Lezay, Deux-Sèvres (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), near the location of one of the most high-profile and widely-contested mega-reservoirs, Sainte-Soline, on Friday, August 18.

This reservoir was the site of major protests and clashes with law enforcement in March this year, which left one man in a coma. At the time, France’s Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne condemned the “intolerable surge of violence”.

Read more: Protests over ‘absurd’ farming water reservoirs in France injure 91

For this new protest, between 500 and 1,000 people are expected to attend on push bikes, along with five to 20 tractors, reports Actu Deux-Sèvres. The convoy will travel in several stages, of 50-60 kilometres each, stopping at strategic points along the way.

These will include Migné-Auxances and Coussay-les-Bois (Vienne), then Tours (Indre-et-Loire) and Blois (Loir-et-Cher). Protestors will arrive in Orléans on August 25, location of the Loire-Bretagne water agency headquarters.

The convoy is set to arrive in Paris on August 26-27.

On its website, the Bassines Nonmerci group has sought to explain why campaigners are protesting, and posted more information about its plans.

It states: “The drought is here to stay, and it won't be taking a vacation this summer. And yet the government …is starting new basin construction projects this autumn in Deux-Sèvres, Charente and Vendée…

“While the movement against mega-basins and in defence of water continues to grow in strength, the French government tried to stifle it with a staggeringly brutal crackdown on March 25.

“The 5,000 grenades hurled at 30,000 demonstrators in two hours, to defend the interests of some of the country's most climate-destroying lobbies, will remain etched in our collective memory. They showed what Macron has to offer in terms of ecology and sparked a wave of international solidarity.

“How could they think they could prevent us from continuing to fight for the absolutely vital issue of water and its fair sharing?...We are now calling for a major journey for water.”

Organisers have asked people along the route to lend their support to the convoy in the form of meals or even rest stops, and invited people sympathetic to the cause to join the convoy in Paris.

The protest comes one week after the Soulèvements de la Terre protest group, one of the main participants at the Deux-Sèvres event, was allowed to reform, after its suspension was lifted.

Read more: French minister wants eco group disbanded over reservoir violence

The convoy has declared itself as required in several prefectures, however the Deux-Sèvres prefecture has claimed that the file is incomplete. It has offered organisers the possibility of a meeting to enable the convoy to depart safely, it said.

Proponents of the mega-resevoirs say that they will help farmers to avoid taking water from the water table during hotter months, but critics say that they amount to ‘water hoarding’ and will make the drought worse and that farmers should instead change their methods to ones needing less water.

Read also

Go-ahead for controversial ‘mega reservoirs’ in west France
Several injured in ‘water basin protest’ in France: what happened?
What are France’s ‘mega reservoirs’ and why are they so controversial?