Le Figaro Lyon
The local residents are exasperated.
After another wild Saturday market in the United States district, residents expressed their anger on a Facebook group at the presence of dozens and dozens of street sellers.
They are joined by the mayor of the 8th arrondissement, Olivier Berzane (EELV), who sits in the environmentalist majority in the city of Lyon.
Last Saturday, he banned the market from being held on its usual location, Place du 8 Mai 1945, before the merchants moved a few meters further, as relayed by BFM.
“I regret that our predecessors allowed this market to establish itself in 2017
,” attacks Le
Figaro
the one who succeeded in 2020 the socialist mayor Christian Coulon, in office for three mandates.
It would have been easier to put an end to it than to let things get worse and become what it is today, which is a very large wild and illegal market with 100, 200 sellers. , up to 450 sometimes.
They offer deals from who knows where, including products that have no place on a market like medicines or cigarettes.”
140,000 euros of barriers
The elected official highlights the establishment of an important cleaning system in conjunction with the metropolis of Lyon, but also repression in conjunction with the public prosecutor.
“80 people had a hearing to remind them of their legal and civic obligations, after being caught abandoning their waste
,” insists Olivier Berzane.
At the end of the market it’s an open-air dump.”
The municipal police are also mobilized, not to mention the installation of barriers
“to make this space available to residents and children
,” continues the district mayor, citing an investment of 140,000 euros.
So in vain.
“But we can clearly see that word of mouth works and that many people continue to come to buy, hoping to find lower prices
,” laments Olivier Berzane.
“There is no question of us giving up
,” assures the elected official supported by the residents.
It highlights unfair competition for declared merchants who pay for their locations, while the environmentalist municipality has included support for open-air markets in its mandate objectives.
At the start of 2022, the Greens had the Guillotière wild market dismantled.
Olivier Berzane is today asking for
“continued support to put an end to this situation”
.