Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday that he had asked the prefect of Tarn to ban the demonstration planned for this weekend, at the call of the environmentalist collective Les Soulèvements de la Terre, against the controversial construction site of the A69 motorway between Toulouse and Castres. The demonstration, scheduled for three days of action from Friday to Sunday, is expected to be "extremely violent" with "600 black blocs (...) who want to do battle with the police, take property, and attack people," declared the Minister of the Interior during questions to the government in the National Assembly.
To manage the potential unrest, twelve units of mobile forces, or nearly 800 personnel, supported by local staff will be mobilized. Area checks have commenced, and since Monday, law enforcement has seized knives, hammers, and axes from vehicles. Darmanin emphasized the state’s preparedness to manage the situation: "The State is even more determined than them," he insisted.
For several months, the construction of the 53 km section of the A69 motorway, which aims to reduce the Castres-Toulouse journey by approximately twenty minutes, has faced substantial opposition. In May, two new machines used on the site were set on fire in Appelle (Tarn), bringing the total number of machinery fires since the beginning of the project to ten, according to Atosca, the future concession company. The latest large demonstration saw a turnout of between 1,550 people (according to the prefecture) and 5,000 demonstrators (according to organizers) in Toulouse at the end of April.
The prefect of Tarn has reiterated the government's steadfast commitment to completing the project despite the protests. He assured that the state has consistently had the means to handle the opposition and will continue to do so, reinforcing the determination to see the A69 motorway project to fruition.
- The A69 motorway project, which has been a contentious issue, is seen by proponents as a vital infrastructure development that will significantly cut travel time between Castres and Toulouse. However, environmentalist groups argue that the project poses a threat to the environment and local communities.
- The planned demonstration follows an extended period of civil unrest and acts of sabotage against the construction, reflecting the deep divide between the government’s development agenda and environmentalists’ advocacy for sustainable practices.
