le quartier Saint-Michel en émoi, l’auteur du crachat en garde à vue
An isolated act in a complicated context, that of the space occupied by street vendors in Saint-Michel. The phenomenon is not new. For several years, they have colonized part of the square, on Sunday mornings and even on certain other days of the week.
“A lot of people, of all religious persuasions, were very shocked by this gesture”
But with the security perimeter set up around the spire at the end of last year, the surface having been reduced, they established their business near the basilica, making access to the latter sometimes difficult. “The marginal effect of their presence has become over time very important due to their number”, indicates Driss Ben Haddou, president of the Village Saint-Michel, an association bringing together around 70 traders.
“Unacceptable aggression”
One of them attended the scene this Sunday. “A lot of people, of all religious persuasions, were very shocked by this gesture,” she says. But the crux of the problem, she confides to us, remains this undeclared sale which is spreading. “When this street market is over, you have to see the mountain of open waste that it causes. Not only is the origin of the products sold suspect, but there is no respect. »
A fortnight ago, during a meeting, Driss Ben Haddou asked Mayor Pierre Hurmic to permanently leave municipal police teams on Sunday mornings in order to prevent any installation. This Sunday, two interventions took place, at 10 a.m. and then at 1 p.m. It was after the first intervention, having been warned that the sellers were back, that the priest decided to go out with his holy water…
In order to reduce the phenomenon of street sales, the City “is considering a project for an alternative place, known as the ”market of Biffins”, as other large cities are already doing”, she indicates. She claims to want to implement “new security measures” […] in order to calm the situation as soon as possible”.
It also strongly condemns the “unacceptable aggression” suffered by the priest this weekend. He did not file a complaint. He did not wish to speak in the media, according to the diocese of Bordeaux which reaffirmed, this Monday, “its desire to cultivate a climate of peace and fraternity in this Saint-Michel district, in close connection with the municipality , associations and law enforcement agencies”.