End of course for “Nantes revolted”? Gérald Darmanin has announced that he has launched the procedure for the dissolution of the far-left group implicated for having called for an undeclared demonstration in the city on Friday. “against the state and against the police”.
“I decided to initiate the adversarial process which would allow the dissolution of this de facto grouping, clarified the Minister of the Interior to the National Assembly, in response to a question from the LREM deputy for Loire-Atlantique Valérie Oppelt. Once things are built and we are unassailable, I will propose to the President of the Republic the dissolution of rebellious Nantes.
Friday evening, incidents occurred in the center of Nantes on the sidelines of an “antifa” demonstration which brought together more than 600 people, with smoke bombs and fireworks. “Down with the State, the cops and the fachos”, chanted the demonstrators, according to videos posted on Twitter. A store window was smashed and the front of a Monoprix degraded. Projectiles were thrown at the police. Protesters then headed to a bar known to host far-right activists. A server and a customer were hit.
Following these incidents, “Three people were arrested and one was sentenced to prison following an immediate appearance”, explained the Minister of the Interior who argued that “since the El Khomri law [loi Travail, ndlr], this de facto group constantly repeats calls for violence and this weekend against the State and the police”.
“Restrict freedom of expression”
Tensions between police and demonstrators are not new in the Loire-Atlantique prefecture and its surroundings. Clashes took place in 2018 during the evacuation of the ZAD of Notre-Dame-des-Landes. The death of Steve Caniço in June 2019 after a police intervention during the music festival on a Loire quay had led to several demonstrations, some of which also ended in face-to-face with the forces of the ‘order.
“Nantes revolted” now has a period of fifteen days to present its arguments to the government, after which the minister will make his decision. If he demands dissolution, he will present a decree to this effect to the Council of Ministers. “Can’t wait to see the justifications for restricting freedom of expression. What exactly are we being reproached for, not having cried heartily over the images of a broken window? Relay calls to protest? Release a magazine that denounces the rapid fascism of power? immediately tweeted “Nantes revolted”which looks like a “autonomous and committed media”.
In the morning, the prefect of Loire-Atlantique Didier Martin had explained to the press that a dissolution was not “not as simple as it looks, otherwise it could have been done a long time ago”, given the fact that “Revolted Nantes claims to be a media” which can confront the State with “respect for freedom of expression and freedom of the press”.