Their action, on July 22 in Lasseube-Propre (Gers), lasted fifteen minutes.
Six activists from the environmental collective Last Renovation were tried on Tuesday before the Auch Criminal Court for having interrupted the 19th stage of the Tour de France by lying on the road.
Tried for obstructing the circulation of vehicles on a public road, five of them were present at the hearing.
In July, one of the members of the group, counting four men and two women, had lit a smoke bomb about 150 km from the finish line, between the villages of Boucagnères and Auterive.
The other five people had "chained themselves together" and had "used glue to stick to the floor", recalled the prosecution.
Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), the organizing company of the Tour, had initially filed a complaint, then had withdrawn it.
“We marched, we demonstrated, we did a whole bunch of actions within the legal framework to make our demands heard, but it didn't work.
It was the last resort, ”argued a young activist on Tuesday.
“The roles were well defined, we even received training before acting.
We had chosen a straight zone, with visibility to prevent the action from being dangerous, ”she said.
Two of the defendants said they had taken part in similar Last Renovation actions during another stage of the Tour and on the Paris ring road last April.
500 euros fine, including 300 suspended, required
The collective acts "for everyone" and "wishes to bring to the fore a worrying ecological situation".
He “demands a thermal renovation of buildings, but nothing is put in place in a serious way”, added another activist.
“Weren't there other legal means to warn about the importance of the thermal renovation of buildings?
“Launched the public prosecutor, Jacques-Edouard Andrault, describing the action as” dangerous, even if the defendants say they took measures to avoid the accident “.
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Because of their clean criminal records, he said he wanted to show "moderation" and requested a joint sentence of 500 euros fine, including 300 suspended.
Judgment has been reserved for January 24, 2023.