The sudden rise in gasoline prices caused by the war in Ukraine is beginning to cause a stir in France. Several deposits were blocked or are blocked this Thursday.
The Brest oil depot (Finistère) was blocked in the morning by public works artisans disappointed with the aid announced by the government in the face of soaring fuel prices. “We remain determined, we have been completely forgotten, we small craftsmen. The fishermen got something, that’s very good, but for our profession, it’s zero. We are neglected but we want to show that we are there so that the little ones are not forgotten, ”explains François Calvez, president of the professional union CNATP 29.
“Since noon the deposit is no longer blocked”, indicated to the sub-prefect of Brest Jean-Philippe Setbon. “We created a second access route to the depot which we fully secured,” he added, adding that 200 mobile gendarmes had been mobilized for the occasion. The main entrance to the site was still blocked in the evening by around sixty construction machinery and trucks, which arrived on Tuesday. In addition, dirt, tires and branches at both ends of the lane giving access to the depot blocked the way.
The blockage lifted in Charente-Maritime
In Lorient, according to the demonstrators, the deposit was still blocked Thursday evening. “We are still there. the prefecture requisitioned a bulldozer from a colleague and brought a crane, but they have not been used for the moment, ”assured Norbert Guillou, public works contractor. On the other hand, the Vern-sur-Seiche depot, near Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), is unblocked.
The blockage was also lifted this Thursday morning in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) where the demonstrators were dislodged, without confrontation, by twice as many police forces. Around 8:30 a.m., the sixty or so fishermen who had been blocking the fuel depot in the commercial port since Wednesday morning returned to their cars, while the CRS dismantled the last barrage of tires and pallets put in place the day before.
At Le Mans (Sarthe), a highly filtering dam has been set up. According to Actu.fr, construction professionals let in a truck every quarter of an hour. Finally, the Organization of European Road Hauliers (Otre) calls on its members to mobilize from Monday. She is asking for “direct and additional financial assistance per vehicle”.