A leader in the Rural Coordination of Lot-et-Garonne (CR47) was sentenced to six months suspended prison sentence, Thursday, July 10, for degradations committed in 2024 during a demonstration. José Perez, co-president of CR47, is accused of having degraded premises of the French Biodiversity Office in Clairac (Lot-et-Garonne) on April 11, 2024, intimidating agents. The Agen Criminal Court has accompanied this sentence of a probationary period of two years.
Pursued as a legal person in ten files, the agricultural union was released, as is its representative Karine Duc, currently candidate for the chairmanship of the Department’s Chamber of Agriculture.
Two other militants of the union were sentenced to four months suspended prison sentence in this case, among twenty who had appeared in May and June last for a series of acts committed during agricultural demonstrations in 2024.
Justice reproached them in particular for having deteriorated around twenty road radars, destroys the cargo of a truck of vegetables from Spain, prevented the circulation of trains or damaged the tracks near Agen, as well as various degradations of buildings of state services (French office of biodiversity, Directorate of Taxes, Urssaf, etc.), highways or large distribution brands.
“On the front line”
The other activists were sentenced to fines ranging from 800 to 2,000 euros, partly suspended. All have ten days to appeal their conviction if they wish.
Several will also have to pay damages to the civil parties, including the manager of an E. Leclerc supermarket near Agen whose roof had collapsed for damage estimated at more than 65,000 euros. SNCF Réseau and SNCF Travelers have obtained more than 44,000 euros in compensation for material damage.
The lawyer for the CR47, Christophe Dejean, welcomed the relaxation from which she benefited. “We tried to attend the life of this union and justice has passed. The CR47 is released, the essential was to save rural coordination »he said.
“We will be able to continue our actions and defend farmers”abounded José Perez, who owes his condemnation, according to his council, “That to the fact that it has been on the front line for years by taking the blows for all the farmers it represents”.