“We had decided to invest in Rungis, we have invested in Rungis,” said Serge Bousquet-Cassagne, president of the Lot-et-Garonne Chamber of Agriculture.
This intrusion into the wholesale market cost them time in police custody.
The 79 farmers arrested on Wednesday by the police were able to leave on Thursday morning, indicated the Créteil prosecutor's office, while the mobilization continued this Thursday.
The investigations “will continue” as part of the preliminary investigation opened on Wednesday, in particular for damage to the property of others during a meeting, “in particular for the exploitation of videos aimed at identifying the main perpetrators of the damage”, specified the parquet.
The investigation was entrusted to the L'Haÿ-les-Roses police station (Val-de-Marne), according to the same source.
“Red line” for the Minister of the Interior
The demonstrators had entered a “storage area” of the market on foot at the end of the afternoon and had “committed damage” there before being “removed from the premises by the police”.
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez announced the arrest of a total of 91 people in connection with this incursion.
Earlier in the day, Gérald Darmanin had announced that farmers should “not block Rungis”, this action being considered a “red line” by the minister.
“If they ever had to do it, obviously, I repeat that we would not let it happen,” he reaffirmed.
These arrests were added to the placement in police custody, earlier Wednesday, of 15 other people arrested near Rungis.
The latter were able to leave on Wednesday evening, after their hearings, indicated the Créteil public prosecutor's office.
Read also: Agricultural anger at the heart of a tense European summit in Brussels
This Thursday, the tractors entered Brussels, where an extraordinary European Council is being held.
The revolt of farmers in several European countries should take up a good part of the discussions.