Le Mans: calm situation after clashes, fairgrounds threaten blockages

In the aftermath of clashes between the fairgrounds and the police in Le Mans, the situation is calm Tuesday. Professionals, however, threaten to block the TGV station and block the roads in the absence of agreement on the location of the festival of Le Mans.

The situation was calm Tuesday morning at Le Mans, in the Sarthe, the day after clashes between police and fairgrounders who threatened to block the station in the afternoon in the absence of agreement.

"I announced that if, before noon, we still do not have a written, we will go to block the [station] TGV.We want an agreement on the durability of the party at Le Mans, there are 65 families on the straw "said Norman Bruch, of the fairground trade union Cidunati and leader of the sling. The showmen are protesting against the ban on setting up in the city center of Le Mans, as the mayor prefers that they be outside, mainly for security reasons and because of the growing size of the attractions.

Fairgrounds keep up the pressure

On Monday morning, violent clashes erupted near the town hall forcing police to use tear gas. About 500 fairgrounds, coming from several places of France, were present Monday, according to the prefecture of Sarthe.

The trade union leader announced that the fairgrounds would not return to the Panorama, a place chosen by the mayor who invested 900,000 euros. "The ball is in their court and I think [Stéphane Le Foll, socialist mayor of Le Mans] realized we were stubborn," said Norman Bruch. The mayor had objected on Monday night an end of refusal, refusing any discussion "under pressure or violence". Fairgrounds also threaten to block roads and filter the highway, while Le Mans is an important node for highway and rail communication in the West.

"The carnival dies" if it is relegated to the outside of the city, according to the showmen

The fairgrounds believe that the remoteness of the city centers makes them suffer a great financial loss. "By experience, every time we are relegated to the outside of the city, the carnival dies: people do not have the means of locomotion to go outside. is no longer a passing passage, "said Martial Gouin, who is based in Brittany and president of the association Le carme enchanté. According to him, 250 carnivals have disappeared in Brittany in the last 25 years.