Two environmental activists given suspended prison sentences for disrupting a Top 14 match

From one court to another. One month after the Paris Court, members of Last Renovation met this Wednesday in front of Toulouse. 150 people had responded to the call of the environmental collective to come and support Jean (28 years old) and Erwan (26 years old) in front of the Courthouse.

For half an hour, speeches and applause followed, before the two men entered the criminal court where they were summoned to answer for their actions. They were prosecuted for willful damage and trouble during a sports competition.

The facts took place on November 5, 2022. During the Top 14 meeting between Stade Toulousain and Stade Français (16-16)Jean and Erwan had easily escaped the supervision of the stewards before climbing onto the goal posts and clinging to them.

They wore white t-shirts, with a countdown – “We have 872 days left”, “Il nous reste 872 jours” in French -, alluding to the time that was then left to act – that is to say by early 2025 – before the effects of climate change are irreversible.

“As a citizen, to defend the living, I have marched, petitioned and we are forced into civil disobedience to make ourselves heard”, said one of the two activists at the helm. The pleading of their lawyers Mes Clémence Durand and Claire Dujardin was based on the state of necessity. The latter is recognized when a person performs a reprehensible act to ensure his safety in the face of an imminent danger, namely global warming.

Their action was a success, with the game halted for six minutes before firefighters and stewards found wire cutters and a ladder to climb up and dislodge them.

The deliberation was delivered during the day: they were given a two-month suspended prison sentence. Another action of this kind, led by another activist of the collective at the Parc des Princes, lasted about thirty seconds. The deliberation of this other case is expected Thursday morning.

The two men tried in Toulouse are also sentenced to a stadium ban for a period of two years. Stade Toulousain, which filed a civil action, obtained 7,188 euros for material damage. Their lawyers have announced their intention to appeal.