Lille, January 9, 2020. First demonstration of the year against the reform of pension plans in Lille. here windows of a real estate agency targeted by hooded demonstrators. - M.Libert / 20 Minutes

  • The unions FSU, Force Ouvrière (FO), CGT and UNEF sent an open letter to the Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner.
  • They denounce a "prefectural policy of intimidation" targeting the demonstrations in Lille.
  • The unions believe that "the thugs continue to break without being worried".

They sent an open letter to the Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner. The unions FSU, Force Ouvrière (FO), CGT and UNEF denounced, on Wednesday, a "prefectural policy of intimidation" after the bans, changes of course and "violent interventions" targeting the demonstrations in Lille.

Affirming that the degradations noted during the demonstrations in Lille against the pension reform (broken windows, billboards or bus shelters) emanate from a "group of unidentified people", these four unions question the action of law enforcement.

"These individuals are not the subject of any police intervention"

"Our event order service isolates the union procession from this group of individuals," writes the intersyndicale. "Easily identifiable, these individuals are not the subject of any intervention by the police, however massively present," she deplores. The breakers continue to break without being worried ”.

According to our information, an investigation is nevertheless opened for degradations committed within a bank, during the demonstration of January 9. Contacted on the subject, the Lille prosecutor did not follow up.

The unions therefore believe that the prefecture took the pretext of this kind of incident to impose "changes of course" and relegate the demonstrators "in arteries where we are hardly visible". They also point out that, on January 23, Lille was "the only city in France" to be banned by torchlight by prefectural decree.

Prefectural intimidation policy

The four organizations also regret that the security forces have "repeatedly intervened violently, including against trade union leaders, in the streets and at times when no violence occurred".

"It becomes difficult for us, in view of all this, not to believe in a prefectoral policy of intimidation in order to empty the processions of demonstrators, or even to improperly restrict the exercise of the right to demonstrate," they conclude.

Alternative route, far from the city center

Several thousand demonstrators gathered in Lille on Wednesday. The usual route having once again been prohibited by the prefecture, the procession took an alternative route, far from the city center.

"The management of events is more than problematic," said Catherine Piecuch, secretary of the FSU for the North and Pas-de-Calais, present in the procession. "The prefect puts thugs and demonstrators in the same bag".

"Everything may not be done to secure the course," she said, explaining that union representatives had themselves "gone to see a construction site to tell them to close", and to avoid thugs. do take material.

Politics

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Society

Protesters against pension reform are creative in their slogans

  • Pension reform
  • Lille
  • Demonstration
  • Union