Le Figaro Marseille
The cruise no longer entertains them at all, and they want to let it be known.
This Saturday, 16 European collectives are meeting in Marseille to organize a European-wide mobilization against cruise ships, accused by their detractors of being a very polluting activity.
These forty activists from France, but also from Spain, Greece, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom are participating in the first edition of “Stop cruises everywhere”, an event which intends to fight against the development of this tourist activity in Europe.
“We will first take the time to meet to share the findings concerning the problem of cruising,”
reports Rémy, spokesperson for the Stop Croisières Marseille collective
.
We will then define a common agenda of joint actions to give international visibility to our fight, and define a set of demands on a European scale.”
In Marseille, Stop Croisières activists are particularly known for their harsh actions against cruise ships, such as in June 2022, the date on which activists from this organization blocked the port of France's second city to prevent the access to two large liners.
“In this matter, everything is open for the future
,” proclaims Rémy.
Also read Controversy over cruises: “Marseille must not become an amusement park”
Fine particles
“The observation seems generally shared between us,”
said the spokesperson.
Cruises are an aberration and an anachronism from a model born in the 1980s. And despite technological innovations, this model of having a city on the water remains very energy-intensive at a time of climate emergency. »
Activists also have the fuel used by cruise ships in their sights.
“A recent study by Atmosud, the organization which studies air quality in Marseille, demonstrated that a liter of marine diesel contains 80,000 times more fine particles than a liter of car diesel
,” says Rémy. who does not believe in the economic benefits of such an activity for the people of Marseille.
“We surveyed 25 businesses in the Panier, a historic district in Marseille,”
he explains.
Twenty-three believe that the impact of cruise lines on their turnover is marginal.
And for good reason: visits take place at a rapid pace and people don’t have time to stop.”
The activists will meet from 2:30 p.m. at 29 boulevard Longchamp.
Three round tables open to the public are also planned, on the theme of greenwashing, alliances between collectives and the notion of hospitality in tourism.
In 2023, according to port figures, the number of cruise passengers in Marseille will break all records with 2.5 million passengers.