"Commandos" against opponents of the A69: six suspects indicted

One of them, the manager of a company responsible for security on the construction site of this Toulouse-Castres axis project, "admitted his responsibility" and "his involvement in the organization of what can be called commandos," said the public prosecutor for the Toulouse area, David Charmatz, during a press conference this afternoon.

On September 1, 2024, hooded men set fire to a car in front of a house occupied by opponents of the A69, before spraying "petrol and tear gas" on two activists who had tried to stop them, Mr. Charmatz explained.

The attack came at the end of a summer of tension between supporters and opponents of the A69, in a region where the motorway is seen by some as a tool for opening up the southern Tarn region, or by others as an anachronistic infrastructure project in the era of the climate crisis.

Construction machinery was set on fire and clashes broke out during large gatherings between anti-A69 activists and the police.

"Serious facts"

Nine people suspected of involvement in the attack and two other attempted arson attacks the previous month were arrested on Tuesday in the Marseille, Lyon and Albi metropolitan areas and taken into custody, Mr. Charmatz said.

While three of them were cleared of any wrongdoing, the other six people - the alleged instigator and "five perpetrators" aged 22 to 33 - were charged Friday evening with arson by an organized gang, criminal conspiracy and group violence.

These are "acts of a serious criminal nature, which carry prison sentences of 20 years for their perpetrators," the Toulouse public prosecutor explained to the press.

The five "executors" admitted "their participation in return for payment" and "explained that these fires were organized and planned at the request" of the person who was then responsible for site safety, he added.

The concessionaire "Atosca and the A69 construction group (including NGE, editor's note) wish to emphasize that they are not implicated in the ongoing proceedings and have always condemned any violent action in the context of the construction of the A69," they declared in a statement sent to AFP.

According to a source close to the investigation, the company whose manager is implicated is "a subcontractor of NGE for the security aspect" and no longer operates on the A69 construction site.

"Mafia Nebula"

For the opposition group La Voie est libre, several of whose activists were also targeted at the end of June by supporters of the A69, this affair "brings to light the mafia nebula that is trying to impose a private interest project against an entire territory" and "reflects the position of omnipotence granted to NGE-Atosca".

Environmentalists and scientists have denounced the destruction of wetlands, farmland, trees, ecosystems and groundwater caused since spring 2023 by the construction of this 53 km motorway segment - intended to shorten the journey between Toulouse and Castres, which currently takes around 1 hour 15 minutes by car, by around twenty minutes.

At the end of February, the Toulouse administrative court ordered a suspension of work, but at the end of May the Toulouse administrative court of appeal authorized a resumption of work, before a substantive review.