an investigation opened by the Lorient public prosecutor’s office

2023-06-16 13:44:34

An investigation was opened in Lorient after the destruction, during the construction of a DIY store, of small menhirs in Carnac (Morbihan), the value of which is debated, confirmed to Agence France-Presse the parquet floor of Lorient . This investigation, against X, follows a complaint received Monday from the association Koun Breizh “denouncing a “voluntary destruction of archaeological heritage””, said the public prosecutor of Lorient, Stéphane Kellenberger. She was entrusted to the research brigade of the gendarmerie of the port city.

Read also: In Carnac, at least thirty-eight menhirs destroyed to build a Mr. Bricolage

The Koun Breizh association specified, in a joint press release with Sites & Monuments, dated Wednesday, that this other association for the defense of heritage joined in this complaint. The two associations consider “that all the light must be shed to identify the flaws that led to the destruction of the monoliths and establish the responsibilities of each”. They also claim to condemn “firmly the threats of which the mayor of Carnac was the victim and (is) bring no charges in this case”.

The affair broke out at the beginning of June when West France revealed the existence of a blog post, published on the Sites & Monuments website and written by an amateur archaeologist from Carnac, claiming that around forty small menhirs had been destroyed in the construction site of a DIY store. The regional direction of cultural affairs (DRAC) of Brittany had underlined in a press release the “character still uncertain and in all cases not major of the remains”.

The mayor of the town, Olivier Lepick (Horizons), had recognized for his part “an administrative error”, but who wouldn’t “not the fact of the municipality”, who he said complied with the law. The home of the elected official, subsequently threatened with death on social networks, was placed under the protection of the gendarmerie, by decision of the sub-prefect of Lorient.

Tags had also been inscribed in the night from Saturday to Sunday on the entrance facade of the church of the town. Koun Breizh and Sites & Monuments are also calling on the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, to open a « mission d’inspection administrative ».

Two small Breton autonomist parties, the Breton Party and the Breton Democratic Union (UDB), as well as the deputy of Côtes-d’Armor Marc Le Fur (LR), had also asked for an investigation to be launched to define the responsibilities .

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Destruction of menhirs in Carnac: the mayor says “his amazement” after death threats

The World with AFP