Environmentalists join the demonstration by Grandpuits refiners in front of Total headquarters

"Patrick Pouyanné (the boss of Total, editor's note) said that this project was good because they were going to transform this refinery into an agrofuel refinery. But agrofuels, as we know, are sometimes worse than fossil fuels. is a masquerade of ecological transition, "said Jean-François Julliard, director of Greenpeace.

Other environmental associations and NGOs, such as Friends of the Earth, joined the rally in which red and green smoke bombs were lit to celebrate with the sound of drums the unusual alliance of refiners and environmentalists.

An attempt to repaint the facade of Total's headquarters green, however, was made impossible by the presence of a cordon of CRS. The demonstrators, however, managed to stick posters on which was written: "Grandpuits, 700 jobs threatened, 7 billion dividends" and "Grandpuits, greenwashing, social scrapping".

"We are fighting with environmentalists because we denounce the fact that Total is not taking an ecological turn. On the contrary, (...) it wants to relocate refining capacities at Grandpuits in countries where social and environmental standards are less ", declared Adrien Cornet, CGT delegate at the Grandpuits refinery," aware "that fossil fuels will have to be exceeded.

The Grandpuits refiners have been on strike since January 4 against the site's reconversion project, where Total plans to cease refining "at the end of 2023" to make way for the production of biofuels and bioplastics, and the operation of two photovoltaic solar power plants.

Pouyanné "green the social plan", reacted the deputy (LFI) François Ruffin. "With a second objective, which is to discredit ecology. By saying to themselves + if ever ecology becomes responsible for layoffs, I will make it unpopular. + Instead of falling into the trap, Greenpeace and the CGT are reaching out to hand to say + we will work together + ".

In the morning, Total announced a net loss of $ 7,2 billion in 2020, against a profit of 11,2 billion in 2019, in particular due to the economic crisis.