Several processions have formed around Sainte-Soline, in Deux-Sèvres, with the aim of converging on the site where a project of “mega-basins” is being developed. The authorities fear the presence of radical elements among the demonstrators.
Up to 10,000 opponents of the mega-basin project are expected on Saturday March 25 in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres). Nearly 3,000 police are mobilized near the site, because the authorities have banned this gathering. The activists still managed to regroup on a large field lent by a farmer. The tractors arrived to cheers. Their objective is to join in force the site of Sainte-Soline, where water reserves are under construction.
Access to the controlled department
Drawn from groundwater, the water is then dedicated to agricultural irrigation. The demonstrators oppose it in the name of sharing this resource, which is becoming increasingly rare. “6% of farmers are monopolizing water in the departments of Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. It’s scandalous”protests a man present on the spot.
In the current context of social protest, the authorities fear violence and access to the department is controlled. According to the prefecture, 1,500 radical activists could mingle with the demonstrators. Three processions of activists must converge on the site of the basins in the afternoon.
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