They see themselves as the “great forgotten” of the Resilience Plan.
The Brest oil depot was unblocked on Thursday by the police, but artisans in the public works sector, disappointed with the aid announced by the government in the face of soaring fuel prices, were still demonstrating near the site.
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“Since noon the deposit is no longer blocked”Brest sub-prefect Jean-Philippe Setbon told AFP. “We created a second access route to the depot that we made completely secure”, he added, specifying that 200 mobile gendarmes had been mobilized for the occasion. The main entrance to the site was still blocked in the evening by around sixty construction machinery and trucks, which arrived on Tuesday. In addition, dirt, tires and branches at both ends of the lane giving access to the depot blocked the way.
The reduction of the TICPE as the main demand
“We remain determined, we have been completely forgotten, we small artisans. The fishermen got something, that’s very good, but for our profession, it’s zero. We are neglected but we want to show that we are there so that the little ones are not forgotten.explained to AFP François Calvez president of the professional union CNATP of Finistère. “We are asking for a drop in the TICPE (domestic tax on energy products, editor’s note) until everything calms down”he added.
“We are the great forgotten of what was said yesterday by the Prime Minister”added Bruno Corre, deputy director of an earthmoving company which employs 26 people. “With what has been announced it is death for us. If nothing moves it is the death of the little ones. We’re not moving from here. Either we fight or we die. All the guys are super motivated, we’re going to stay no matter what.” he assured.
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In Lorient, according to the demonstrators, the deposit was still blocked Thursday evening. “We are still there. the prefecture requisitioned a bulldozer from a colleague and brought a crane, but they have not been used for the moment”, assured AFP Norbert Guillou, public works contractor. It was not possible to contact the prefecture of Morbihan to make an inventory.
On the other hand, the deposit of Vern-sur-Seiche, near Rennes, is unblocked. The blockage was also lifted Thursday morning in La Rochelle where the demonstrators were dislodged, without confrontation, by twice as many police forces, noted an AFP photographer. Around 8:30 a.m., the sixty or so fishermen who had been blocking the commercial port fuel depot since Wednesday morning returned to their cars, while the CRS dismantled the last barrage of tires and pallets set up the day before.
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