The manager of the martial arts hall was satisfied after a 21-day hunger strike.

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Philippe LOPEZ / AFP

  • A manager in financial difficulty because of the forced closure of his dojo had been on hunger strike for 21 days.

  • He obtained the assurance of assistance from the public authorities and a letter of support from Brigitte Macron.

His relentlessness paid off.

The manager of a martial arts hall in Bruges, near Bordeaux, ended the hunger strike he was leading to save his establishment after an agreement with the public authorities and a letter received from Brigitte Macron, a we learned this Wednesday.

Jean-Philippe Rey, 60, next month observed a 21-day hunger strike in protest that he has not received any financial assistance since his establishment was closed a year ago because of the Covid-19 epidemic, and alerting private sports associations to the “hecatomb”.

“I accepted the word given [by the regional directorate] of Youth and Sports, in particular Christophe Combette [head of the sports pole at the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional directorate], and the prefecture [of Gironde] and j I myself have given my word: we are going to sign a protocol on education, radicalization, diversity, secularism, social action and commit to regularly reporting on our actions in this context, which will trigger helpers that will allow us to survive, ”said the manager of Dojo 114.

Lots of support

“Everyone has made a huge effort,” he said.

"I received a lot of support, from everywhere, and saw caring people."

Among these supports, he says, that of Brigitte Macron.

“Ms. Macron intervened personally,” says Jean-Philippe Rey who himself wrote to the Elysee.

"We received a letter from her, a letter of encouragement, in which she said that the president was very attentive to what was happening."

"Everyone played the game, I removed the panel on hunger strike," said Jean-Philippe Rey, who assures him that he "feels good" after 21 days of hunger strike.

"When the public authorities do something concrete, it must be said, we should not always shoot red balls [on them]".

Last week, this former bodyguard explained that his club, which lives solely on contributions from volunteers, needed 6,000 euros.

"If the Dojo goes out, there will be two", he warned, denouncing then "the lack" of consideration of the public authorities with regard to sports associations.

Opened in 2014, its private association room of 120 m2 normally accommodates some 250 members in four disciplines: Karate, Kung fu, MMA and Ju-jitsu.

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  • Hunger-strike

  • Coronavirus

  • Martial Arts

  • Covid 19

  • Aquitaine

  • Bordeaux