environmental activists ransack golf courses
It happened overnight. From Wednesday 10 to Thursday 11 August, activists from collective Kirikou ransacked the grounds of golf courses of Old Toulouse and Blagnac. The latter have a derogation from the prefecture of Haute-Garonne to maintain the watering of their lawn. This decision does not please everyone.
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An injustice denounced by the collective
The arguments put forward by the collective Kirikou in a press release filed on the fact that an “extreme drought is hitting France” and that if the inhabitants are forced to limit their consumption, this is not the case for golf courses subject to an exemption.
Currently, 93 departments are placed under restrictions of water use, and the drought leads to total bans on irrigation for agriculture. And yet, the watering of the greens, courses and departures of golf courses is authorized by derogation because of the cost of maintaining these very luxurious courses. Of course, some golf course owners claim to have “reasoned” consumption, but it is the sum of all the places of practice on a national scale that is critical”.
The holes were filled with cement. © Kirikou Collective
Cement in the holes and signs
During the night, the militants of the collective Kirikou then invested the golf courses of Old Toulouse and Blagnac. Their action then focused on the filling of certain holes with cement or on the degradation of the lawn of the greens.
Signs were also posted on the hole stakes. It reads: “Farmers and market gardeners prohibited from irrigating, golf courses privileged people, do you think that’s normal?”, “600 golf courses in France today drink as much as 2,800,000 inhabitants” or even “This hole was plugged because its use was not aligned with the maintenance of a viable world. “.
Messages were posted at the cemented holes. © Kirikou Collective
Two demands made by the Kirikou collective
This action led by the collective Kirikou wishes to make two demands:
- The total stoppage of theirrigation of golf courses from level 3 of declared restrictions, and the end of exemptions for the authorization to water golf courses ;
- A real control of samples and the obligation of regular reports on the part of the golf courses on their water sampling data; with strict application of the penalties provided for at the slightest deviation.
“And this on the whole of the French territory”, specifies the press release.
The lawns of the golf courses were also damaged. © Kirikou Collective