Toulouse (France) (AFP) – The president of the Rural Coordination (CR) Bertrand Venteau, tried for having said that it was necessary to “shut down” environmentalists, defended himself Thursday before the Auch criminal court, arguing that it was a “purely political” remark, made in a private setting.

Published on: 09/03/2026 - 5:23 p.m.

During the CR congress on November 19, 2025, which put him at the head of the second agricultural union in France, Bertrand Vanteau declared to applause: "the ecologists, degrowth want to kill us, we must kill them".

Prosecuted by the environmental organizations France Nature Environnement and Génération Future, which have filed civil suits, the union leader is being tried for "public and direct provocation without effect, to commit a crime or misdemeanor".

The president of the court was surprised by the "private nature" of the trade unionist's comments mentioned by the defense, even though the statement was reported by the press present at the congress.

A video filmed by journalists was broadcast to the hearing, while Bertrand Venteau claimed not to have seen a camera that day.

He affirmed that his call “to skin the ecologists” was part of the “debate of ideas”.

The prosecutor denounced “hate speech”.

"It's making fun of the world! He knew very well that it would be filmed and that it would be broadcast," refuted the latter, requesting a fine of 30,000 euros with suspended sentence.

Before being prevented from doing so by the president of the court, the defense lawyer tried to assert that her client had been subjected to "double standards (...) in the speed of processing of cases" while it was to the Auch public prosecutor's office that the Lyhanna case was handled slowly. She asked for his release, pleading that the remarks were a “metaphor”.

Outside the court, supervised by a company of CRS, more than two hundred members of the Rural Coordination had gathered before the hearing in an initially good-natured atmosphere to support their leader.

The atmosphere then deteriorated when around fifteen ecologists and members of the Peasant Confederation entered the court to boos, throwing eggs and firecrackers.

The Court's decision was reserved until October 15.

© 2026 AFP

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.