Toulouse: should the city be cordoned off for a few demonstrators?
Every Saturday, the demonstrations involve cordons of police officers in the hypercentre of Toulouse. A stressful situation for traders.
“It’s not easy to do, but you have to proportion the police presence to the number of demonstrators,” said Philippe Léon, president of the Federation of Toulouse traders. Every Saturday, fewer and fewer anti-pass demonstrators parade around the hypercentre. Leading to a procession of order service, bus diversions, streets and boulevards cut off from traffic.
A situation judged by traders to be anxiety-provoking and unattractive for business: “The police forces are securing the city center and that’s a good point, notes Alain Alter, manager of the Soulery store. We now have to find a more flexible device to allow people to come to town without being turned away. Collaboration between the municipal police and the prefecture would be necessary”.
“We must release this pressure that drives customers away”
Laurent Lopez of the CCI and vice-president of the association of rue Croix-Baragnon recalls: “Last Saturday, at 9:15 a.m., fifteen CRS vehicles were parked on rue de Metz. What a picture of the city! This police presence necessary to ensure security is too important in relation to the social context. Result on Saturday has become the black day of trade.
For Elias, restaurateur, “we have to release this pressure that drives customers away. There will always be time to see if it deteriorates”. According to the Haute-Garonne prefecture, “urban violence during demonstrations led the prefect to ban all undeclared gatherings in the hypercentre. The security system is therefore necessary to avoid these incidents and preserve the tranquility of Toulouse residents”.