Louis de Raguenel, edited by Yanis Darras
It is a tense situation in which the executive finds itself. After the demonstrations against the project of “mega-basins” of Sainte-Soline, bringing together thousands of people, the government wishes to avoid a scenario similar to Notre-Dame-des-Landes. Hundreds of gendarmes remain mobilized on the site, against the backdrop of a politically inflammable subject.
The project provokes an outcry among some environmentalists. Thousands of them came to demonstrate against the construction of the Sainte-Soline mega-basin in Deux-Sèvres last weekend. A banned gathering, marked by violent clashes with the police. But for the government, there is no question of returning to the same scenario as for Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport, not far from Nantes.
To achieve this, the security system on site was exceptional: several gendarmerie helicopters, 14 soldiers from the GIGN branch in Tours as well as 1,700 mobile gendarmes were mobilized this weekend. By way of comparison, 2,500 gendarmes were present in 2018 for the evacuation of the ZAD of Notre-Dame-des-Landes.
1,000 gendarmes still mobilized
Behind the scenes, a prefect explains that the speech of firmness produced results. According to information from Europe 1, the gendarmerie noted Tuesday at 3 p.m., the presence on the camp of the demonstrators, installed a few kilometers from the construction site of the basin, of only 20 people and six cars.
Even if the situation can change at any time, the executive wants to be rather confident. And what is reassuring is that the site is not supplied with water and electricity. However, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has decided to maintain the presence of 1,000 gendarmes on the site. And construction work on the water basin should not resume before the end of the week, in a desire to calm down.