“People are fed up”: boaters on the Quai des Moulins in Sète gathered to sign a petition

La conversation monte dans les tours entre les plaisanciers et Romain Ferrara (à droite). Midi Libre – Clotilde Rodriguez

This Saturday, February 1st, the boaters of the Quai des Moulins in Sète met to demonstrate their discontent and sign a petition, in a somewhat tense atmosphere.

As announced, about sixty boaters met in the Bricorama car park in Sète this Saturday, February 1st. On one side, the petition sheets that are passed from hand to hand, on the other, the pens that are exchanged, that are lost. But above all, the tone that is rising.

There have been a number of thefts in recent weeks, particularly of engine parts. There have also been boat squats, such as that of Louis, one of the boaters. He surprised people sleeping in his boat. “People are fed up, insists Arnaud Jean, also head of the local CGT union, that's why we set up this petition. To make ourselves heard.” A surprise guest came to participate in the gathering, Romain Ferrara, deputy mayor, in charge in particular of the living environment of the neighborhoods.

Promises and solutions not yet completed

A remarkable arrival which gave rise to some heated exchanges between the deputy and the boaters. “I didn't come to do politics this morning, I'm also a boater, it's a subject that affects me. But we already know about the problem of the Quai des Moulins. For a year, we have been organizing meetings with boaters to find solutions,” explains Romain Ferrara, rather angry. But boaters do not share his opinion. Arnaud Jean specifies that “everyone knows these promises of cameras and additional patrols, but when will they be kept ?”