Two major highways in the south of France were closed on Friday morning for nearly 400 km on an axis going from the south of Lyon to Spain, something
"never seen before"
, we learned from the company operating these axes, Vinci Highways.
The A7 and the A9 are cut between Chanas (Isère) and Sigean (Aude) at the request of the authorities:
“We have never seen this, on such a scale and over such a duration
,” explained a door -word of Vinci.
Thierry Sénéclauze, present on a stationary dam at Albon (Drôme) sees this as proof
“that our action is sustained and strong”
.
“It’s a movement of total pacification, we are on the highway but we will not break anything, we will not damage anything and we will sweep our entire portion of the highway when we leave
,” he promised.
In the Montpellier region, some 600 vehicles including 315 tractors occupy the highway in one direction, on the other side the lanes are empty.
LIVE - Anger of farmers: two highways in the south of France closed for nearly 400 km
“A cannon is to save a winegrower”
On the A9, the main axis between France and Spain, hundreds of tractors joined the mobilization with flashing headlights, some brandishing signs behind their villages or French flags.
On one of them this sign:
“A cannon is to save a winegrower”
.
By mid-morning, they were gathered at the Saint-Jean-de-Védas tollbooth, dumping straw and slurry.
The closure of the A9 between Orange and Sigean comes from a
“zonable decision concerted with all the prefects”
, explained a spokesperson for the Hérault prefecture.
Contacted, the Drôme prefecture explains for its part that it was also decided to close part of the A7
“as a precaution”
while angry farmers have been increasing blockages for several days throughout France.
No reopening time for the routes has been indicated at this time.
In Narbonne, wine growers from across the region were mobilizing for an operation which was expected to last all day with nearly 2,000 demonstrators and 250 tractors already on site, the gendarmerie said.
Determined
“The convoy coming down from Carcassonne towards Narbonne has just arrived, so we are going to go back down on the A9 motorway and block between Narbonne and Perpignan
,” explained Damien Onorre, member of the management of the Aude Winegrowers Union.
“We are going to stay at least for the day, everything will depend on the announcements but they have to be strong because the people there are determined,”
he warned.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is due to announce the first rapid-effect measures on Friday.
Access to Pas-de-la-Case, the axis which leads to Andorra, was also to be blocked by a demonstration of farmers from the Pyrénées-Orientales from 10:00 a.m.
“for an indefinite period”
, warned the prefecture, which recommends that motorists wishing to go there go through the Puymorens tunnel and Spain.