Meet the face of France's anger against cancer and pesticides
"With my cancer face, I was the only one who could speak up in the chamber," said Breteau. The Parisian founded the Cancer Colère group ("Cancer Anger") the day after the Duplomb Law was first passed by senators, on January 27. Her goal: "To politicize cancer by making it visible." She has succeeded. Her act contributed to the success of the citizens' petition calling for the law's repeal, which passed the million-signature mark shortly before 6 pm on Sunday, July 20. "This is what civil society is giving back to a contemptuous government and the 316 lawmakers who supported Duplomb over public health, science and the future of farmers," responded the newly minted activist. "They thought they could censor the democratic process. They wanted to destroy us, but they are bringing us together."
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Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
The French rebel against a pesticide authorised for use in the EU
It's a debate that is shaking up French society this summer. With 1.8 million signatures collected within just a fortnight, the petition against the Duplomb Law is sending shockwaves through the political world. One point in particular is crystallising tensions: the reintroduction of a pesticide. The legislation authorises farmers to use acetamiprid, possible because the substance is authorised for use in the EU until 2033. It was a 23-year-old student who lit the fuse. She submitted her petition two days after the final adoption of the law on 8 July. For the ecologist MEPs, this text is a dangerous message sent by Paris to its European partners. "The problem is that France could very well have gone to its counterparts in the other Member States and said, let's harmonise our legislation, let's harmonise our bans, let's do it in the general interest and let's work towards that. This is not what France has decided to do," laments Majdouline Sbaï from the Greens/EFA European Parliament bloc. "By taking a step backwards, France is bound to set Europe back", she added. France wants to use this substance, which has been banned since 2018, to protect its beet, hazelnut, cherry and apple crops. Supporters of the law and France's leading farmers' union believe that national producers are at a disadvantage compared to their European counterparts and are talking about unfair competition. Right-wing MEP Céline Imart points out that insect pests "destroy between 30 and 50% of hazelnut crops." "And so what happens in this case is that we import products from our neighbours, from Germany or Italy, but also Turkish hazelnuts in the end, to supply the factories and production in France." A controversial pesticide "Neocotinoids, which include acetamiprid, are considered to be bee killers. A bee is used to pollinate. This type of substance is a real danger for bees and therefore for future pollination," warns Majdouline Sbaï. "But beyond that, it is also implicated and considered as a carcinogen, as a danger to the health of humans." However, the public health debate is more complex. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is cautious on this point. Last year, it stated that "there are major uncertainties in the body of evidence concerning the developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) properties of acetamiprid and that additional data are therefore necessary to (...) allow an appropriate assessment of the hazards and risks." The pesticide could have effects on foetal brain development. The EFSA has therefore proposed reducing the daily dose. "I understand that there is this debate. What is extremely damaging today is that the debate is biased. And when we try to bring science, rationality and scientific studies to the table", we "end up coming up against this emotion generated by the buzz of fear," replies Céline Imart. A blow for climate policy The Duplomb Act is part of a trend towards calling into question the climate policy adopted in recent years. The text includes other provisions that facilitate intensive livestock farming and construction of water storage facilities, otherwise known as megabasins. "Yes, this is yet another attack on the commitments made in the previous mandate," says Majdouline Sbaï. On the other hand, Céline Imart (EPP) welcomes the fact that this law calls into question the European Green Pact. "I'm very proud to be helping to unravel this Green Pact, because I think it's the wrong way to go about things. The punitive logic, the logic that will further burden farmers, their productivity, their profitability," insists the MEP. For the time being, the petition in France has met the criteria for a new debate in the National Assembly. The President of the National Assembly said she was in favour of a further exchange of views between MEPs. However, this debate can only deal with the petition, and will not be followed by a vote that could immediately repeal the law that has already been passed.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
French anger over toxic chemical piles pressure on Macron
On July 10, a 23-year-old master's student launched a petition urging the French government to drop legislation allowing the reintroduction of acetamiprid, a pesticide that is harmful to ecosystems but popular with many farmers in Europe. Banned in France since 2018, the chemical remains legal in the European Union, and proponents say French farmers need it to help them compete. Support for the petition spread like wildfire, with university lecturers, actors, left-wing lawmakers and star chefs backing it. It had racked up 1.9 million signatures by Thursday afternoon. The controversial legislation is dubbed the Duplomb law, after its author, Laurent Duplomb, a senator for the right-wing Republicans party. The bill was adopted on July 8, but without a proper debate, to bypass gridlock in a bitterly divided parliament. Signatories of the petition have urged President Emmanuel Macron not to sign it into law. The petition calls the legislation a "frontal attack on public health". But supporters say their frustration goes beyond environmental concerns. Commentators say it may be a sign of exasperation with deadlock in a hung parliament and a desire to have a greater say in political matters. Elodie Germain, 46, said the mobilisation represents a form of "democratic revenge", after Macron forced a controversial pension reform through parliament in 2023 and dissolved the lower chamber last year, sparking political turmoil that resulted in a hung parliament. "There is of course an environmental aspect behind my signature, but there is also a lot of frustration," said Germain. "After the pension reform and the dissolution, here we have another example of a bill being forced through parliament." 'Blindness of our politicians' Francois Veillerette of environmental association Generations Futures struck a similar note. "People have felt for months that they are not being listened to," he said. Such is the success of the mobilisation that representatives of France's culinary world, usually reticent about airing political views, published an open letter calling for the withdrawal of the legislation and a moratorium on pesticide use. "We are appalled by the blindness of our politicians and their now all-too-obvious ties to the agro-industry," said the letter, which has collected signatures from nearly 400 people, including Michelin-starred chefs and restaurateurs. "We, restaurateurs, work hard, we keep our mouths shut and get on with it," said Glenn Viel, a celebrated 3-star Michelin chef. "But at some point, you have to bang your fist on the table." Jacques Marcon, another 3-star Michelin chef, said he was ready to become "a true activist for the agricultural and environmental cause". Newspaper Le Monde said the petition had put politicians on edge. "The unprecedentedly large grassroots movement making itself heard on environmental issues through the now-famous petition has caught everyone off guard," it said in an editorial. The petition has drawn attention to parliament's "shortcomings", it added. 'Completely abnormal' In France, if a petition submitted on the National Assembly's website reaches 500,000 signatures, parliament's lower house may choose to hold a public debate, limited to the content of the petition. While any review of the legislation is unlikely at this stage, the government is under increasing pressure to respond. France has a long history of mass protests, including the yellow vest protests for economic justice. The grassroots movement began in 2018 with a petition calling for lower fuel prices. Several left-wing parties and environmental associations have urged Macron to demand a "new deliberation" of the legislation in parliament. On Wednesday, Macron said he would wait for the conclusions of the Constitutional Council, due to rule on the validity of the legislation by August 10, according to the government spokeswoman. Experts warn that if no solution is found, the situation could breed even more frustration. Guillaume Gourgues, a lecturer in political science at the University of Lyon 2, who signed the petition, said it was "completely abnormal" that there was no outlet in France for "a mobilisation of this magnitude". "No one has the slightest idea what this will achieve," he said, referring to the proposed parliamentary debate. Gally Vangeenberghe, a 21-year-old sales assistant from the northern city of Lille, said the fact the legislation had been adopted without debate was "heresy." "I find it unacceptable." la-sde-dep-egn-cgc-as/ah/jhb © 2025 AFP
LeMonde
a day ago
- LeMonde
French culture minister's corruption trial complicates Paris' political landscape
More than the order for Culture Minister Rachida Dati to stand trial for alleged corruption and influence peddling on Tuesday, July 22, it was her fierce attacks on the judges in response to the decision that stunned France's political class. "When you are a public official, when you are a minister, you don't attack judges. We are not Trump's America; we are the French Republic," said Clément Beaune, a former MP for Paris from Macron's Renaissance party, speaking on France 2 on Wednesday. Pierre-Yves Bournazel, the center-right Horizons party's candidate for the Paris mayoral elections, also criticized Dati, who will likely be one of his rivals in the race for city hall: "Dati's constant drama cannot be the alpha and omega of the Paris campaign," said Bournazel, who wants to "bring the project back to the center of the debate" and presents himself as a "bulwark against the Trump-ification of Parisian political life." President Emmanuel Macron and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin spoke out in support of Dati, and their statements even provoked reactions within their own camp. "The fact that the president and the justice minister, both responsible for the proper functioning of the judiciary, rushed to the rescue of Ms. Dati, shocks all those for whom the promise of irreproachable ethics and the renewal of political practices heavily influenced their decision to join Emmanuel Macron in 2017," said Gilles Le Gendre, a former Renaissance MP for Paris. "A minister must leave the government when charged," Macron had said in 2017.
