Finance bill: an additional amendment to silence civil society
We, citizen, environmental, and rural organisations, strongly condemn the amendment that has just been passed today by the finance committee on the finance bill which aims to eliminate the fiscal advantages agreed with the associations whose activists are guilty of intruding on agricultural and industrial sites.
We, citizen, environmental, and rural organisations, strongly condemn the amendment that has just been passed today by the finance committee on the finance bill which aims to eliminate the fiscal advantages agreed with the associations whose activists are guilty of intruding on agricultural and industrial sites. (1)
If this amendment was really voted in plenary, it would hit all of the organisations condemning the abuse of our agricultural and industrial system hard, particularly through civil disobedience acts. We are therefore calling on MPs to reject this amendment during the passage of the law in the full session.
This amendment is new proof of the persecution of public power toward civil society organisations, and a new step to hamper our associations who are working for general interests.
As a reminder, the ‘separatism’ law, passed in 2021, opens up a wide range of restrictions imposed on associations, calling into question in particular the possible legal actions by associations defending the environment and fighting against corruption. Two weeks ago, it was this same law that was mentioned by the Vienne Prefect to revert on the grant from the Poitiers Mayor at a festival offering civil disobedience workshops.
As for the Demeter unit, the national gendarmerie intelligence unit, created in 2019 under pressure from the FNSEA, it is still very much active in “fighting against violations of the agricultural world”, and in reality silencing all critical opinions of the agro-industrial system.
Faced with this new attempt of intimidation of civil society, we will continue to defend our freedom of expression and right to protest which are so essential in the face of the ordeals that we are experiencing and for democracy, and to warn citizens about these abuses of safety.
Signatory organisations (in alphabetical order)
Action Non-Violente COP21
Agir pour l’Environnement
Aitec
Alofa Tuvalu
Alternatiba
Altrimenti
Amis de la Terre France
APESAC
ASPAS
Association Végétarienne de France
ATTAC France
Bio consom’acteurs
BLOOM
CFDT-Journalistes
CIWF France
CODE (Communication et Démocratie)
Foodwatch France
Fondation pour la Nature et l’Homme
France Nature Environnement
Générations Futures
Greenpeace France
Humanité et Biodiversité
Les Ami.e.s de la Confédération paysanne
L214 Éthique & animaux
LPO
Maison des Lanceurs d’Alerte
Notre Affaire à Tous
Nothing2Hide
One Voice
Oxfam France
Réseau Action Climat
Sciences citoyennes
SNJ-CGT
SOL, Alternatives Agroécologiques et Solidaires
Sud Recherche EPST – Solidaires
Terre & Humanisme
Virage Energie
VRAC France
WECF France
Welfarm
(1) – The amendment stipulates that “the benefit of the tax reduction is excluded for donations to associations whose members are found guilty of acts of intrusion on private agricultural properties and industrial establishments or acts of violence towards professionals.”
Translated from the French by Joely Justice