The police intervened Thursday morning in the center of Brest, at the request of the town hall, to regain control of the site of the Future, a self-managed cultural place, active for several years. This intervention at the beginning of the morning gave rise to a few incidents, including fires of garbage cans, with the defenders of the place located in the center, in the immediate vicinity of Place Guérin. The security forces used de-encirclement grenades and tear gas canisters.
“The police intervened at the request of the town hall, following a court decision,” Brest sub-prefect Jean-Philippe Setbon told reporters. This place, managed by a collective, existed since 2015 and was installed on an urban wasteland belonging to the city. No one lived there but cultural activities open to all took place there regularly. It remained closed between two animations.
The city had launched a mediation with the collective about a year ago because it wanted to have clearly identified interlocutors so that safety standards were respected in particular. But this mediation did not succeed, the collective wishing to continue its action without becoming institutionalized. At the entrance to the place was written: “we want to remain independent of any official institution”.
In a press release, the city justified this intervention by the need to regain control of “an occupied land offering activities outside of all security rules and any legal framework”. “This morning’s intervention comes as a conclusion to the collective’s refusal to dialogue (…) and the refusal of the imperative prerequisites for the safety of the people frequenting this place”, according to the text. “However, the elected officials intend to continue the consultation with all the stakeholders and actors of the district (…) for the future of this site”, adds the press release from the town hall.
