Filter dams, blockage of oil depots and refineries: dissatisfied with government announcements, construction professionals, fishermen, farmers, transporters or taxis carried out new actions on Monday throughout the country to protest against fuel prices.
200 trucks blocked in Normandy
In Normandy, some 200 heavy goods vehicles were blocked for several hours near Torigny-les-Villes, at the entrance to the A84 which links Avranches to Caen. While at the end of the afternoon, 345 heavy goods vehicles were stopped at a motorway exit roundabout in Guilberville, the prefect of the Channel Frédéric Perissat, decided to close the interchange 40 of the ‘A84, in both directions for all vehicles from 8 p.m., “in order to guarantee the safety of road users”.
Romain Leguelinel, manager of a transport company with 11 employees, participated in the blockage. “We ride to ride, more to earn a living. At this rate, a large part of the VSEs and SMEs in the sector will have to close. The 400 million in aid announced are not at all appropriate. For us, it’s just a check for 1,300 euros, it doesn’t even compensate for what we’ve lost so far,” he said.
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At the start of the afternoon, four ships were still blocking access to the Tréport trade basin, according to the prefecture of Seine-Maritime. At midday, the port had been blocked by 100 and 150 fishermen, according to the cooperative of artisanal fishermen in the town. While a demonstration brought together 170 participants in the morning at the Normandy bridge, a meeting of fishermen also took place “to discuss the rise in fuel prices”, according to the prefecture.
Sharp slowdowns in Brittany
In Brittany, the strongest slowdowns took place in Morbihan around Lorient, with some 10 km of traffic jams. Traffic resumed normally in the afternoon on the RN24 and the RN165, according to the prefecture.
Snail operations also took place on the Rennes ring road, also in Brest, Angers or La Rochelle. Around 4 p.m., several vehicles leaving from a Loire-Atlantique tollbooth were carrying out an action on the A83 towards Vendée.
A refinery blocked in Lyon
South of Lyon, a dozen trucks blocked shipments from the TotalEnergies refinery in Feyzin (Rhône), at the call of the Confédération paysanne and the Rural Coordination.
“We’ve been here since 4 a.m. to protest the skyrocketing cost of energy and animal feed, which is disproportionately high for our farms. The 30-day deadlines are going to be very difficult”, detailed Gilles Jouve, breeder of suckler cows in Ardèche. “A year ago, we bought a ton of corn at 200 euros. The last order was 277 euros,” explained Manuel Arandel, from the Confédération paysanne.
There is “no tension on supplies to date and we do not anticipate any tension,” said a spokesperson for Ufip Energies and Mobilities, which brings together professionals in the oil sector in France.
The two Corsican tankers blocked
In Corsica, the two oil depots on the island, in Ajaccio and Lucciana (Haute-Corse), were blocked by farmers who disposed of their tractors and trailers at 5:30 a.m. in front of the depot entrances, according to the prefecture. They are calling for a resilience plan specific to Corsica.
Filtering dams in Hauts-de-France
In Hauts-de-France, filter dams took place in Dourges (Pas-de-Calais) and at the Lesquin transport and logistics center.
angry taxi drivers
Taxi drivers have joined the movement with snail operations in Orléans and Besançon, where some ten kilometers of traffic jams have been recorded. Near Marseille, hundreds of taxis blocked the logistics warehouses in the Miramas commercial area. According to Yazid Ziani, a member of the National Taxi Federation, the increase in fuel prices represents a loss of 400 to 600 euros per month for taxis, “who earn on average 2000 euros per month”.
The government has announced a global envelope of 400 million euros for road hauliers. Aid deemed “derisory” by many road professionals. “It’s a one-off, derisory aid that only serves to defuse anger. In the end, we will still have to pass on the increases, ”judges one of them with Ouest-France. Drivers had already participated in recent days in demonstrations and blockades of fuel depots to protest against rising energy prices.