In front of the gates of the distribution center of the American giant, in Senlis (Oise), the songs are already resounding, signs are displayed everywhere on the surrounding trees and the masks on the faces of the demonstrators display the color: "Stop Amazon".
At the call of the Attac association, they are forty, this Saturday morning, to have met locally for this national day of mobilization against "the establishment of new sites".
With this action, these activists hope to change consciousness.
Goal?
To dissuade their fellow citizens from ordering from Amazon, which they claim would help destroy jobs.
However, when it opened its doors last October, CDG 7 - this code name attributed to the Senlis center - had posted the hiring of 300 people on permanent contracts.
“We had announced 500 over three years.
We keep our commitments ”, explained Théophile Arnand, site manager.
"The desertification of the countryside"
At what price, one wonders at Attac.
“This creates a bit of local work in the short term,” says Thierry Patinet.
But there will be significantly more jobs lost over time.
"Surrounded by demonstrators, this spokesperson for the association in the department thus recalls the study carried out by the former secretary of state in charge of digital, Mounir Mahjoubi:" For a job created, we delete two in the downtown shops.
"
Among those present, we find Sonia, 46 years old, support of the association, without being "militant", she specifies.
Like many, even in her own family, she must have had a hard time convincing.
“It's so easy, one click on the Internet and it's over.
"For Arnaud, 47, treasurer of the association," people see the practical side, the affordable prices ... "But not the consequences behind.
“I live in Liancourt, there was still a bookstore two years ago and it has closed.
If we push in this logic, in the end there will be no more trade at all, he sighs.
We're just going to go further and further into the desertification of the countryside… ”
9,300 people hired in France
These criticisms addressed to the American firm are not new, but have gained momentum during the health crisis, between a petition for a "Christmas without Amazon" of elected officials and a forum of political leaders, who denounce "the expansion of this e-commerce giant ”.
"We have invested more than 9.2 billion euros in our French activities since 2010 and employ more than 9,300 people in France, at the service of our customers", answers the company in a press release, pointing out that the company represents " less than 2% of retail trade in France ”.