Under the influence of a procedure of dissolution, the movement “The Uprisings of the earth”, co-organizer of the demonstration against the artificial water retention of Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres) on March 25, denounced Friday “a will of the government to stifle the movements which oppose on an ecological level”, adding that “dissolution or not”, it will “not stop”.
“This dissolution is a way of diverting attention (…) and of returning the responsibility of the government in the brutal repression of demonstrators in recent weeks, and in particular in Sainte-Soline”, declared Benoît Feuillu, spokesperson of the movement, before an appointment at the Ministry of the Interior in Paris.
He himself and a dozen or so representatives of the “Earth Uprisings”, who had come to submit observations as part of the dissolution procedure, were not finally received by the ministry, the latter only wishing to receive Benoît Feuillu and the lawyers of the movement while the delegation demanded to be received as a whole. The lawyers were nevertheless able to file their written observations in response to the complaints made by the ministry.
A group of “extreme violence”, according to Darmanin
Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on March 28 his intention to dissolve the group, citing “the extreme violence of small groups on file by the intelligence services sometimes for very many years, such as the de facto group earth uprisings ».
Activists denounce a “fallacious motive”. “We would be, according to the government, a form of closed group, so-called ultra-left. It is really showing an erroneous vision of what this movement is: a broad, composite, democratic and popular coalition of a set of local collectives, national organizations, NGOs, farms, sections unions,” they argued.
The group thus went to Place Beauvau on Friday to denounce an “absolutely fantastic” procedure. “The government is violating both freedom of expression and freedom of association”, argued the two lawyers for the movement during a press briefing, denouncing “a masquerade of contradictory procedure”.
A petition with more than 60,000 signatures
A support petition launched by the group collected more than 60,000 signatures, including those of several hundred personalities. Among them, director Cyril Dion, present on Friday. “We are not violent people and we absolutely do not call for violence, but for responsibility to put an end to this systematic destruction of life on the planet,” he stressed.
“There is a vital urgency to act, and it will not stop, dissolution or not” hammered for his part the spokesman of the movement.
“This ground swell cannot be dissolved”, added Benoît Feuillu, announcing that the movement counts, if the dissolution was finally pronounced in the Council of Ministers, to file “referred freedom or suspension before the Council of State” as well as appeal on the merits and go to the European Court of Human Rights. In the meantime, the movement is organizing a public meeting in Paris on April 12 entitled “We are the uprisings of the earth”. Personalities from the cultural, trade union and political world are expected to attend.