AND HERE IS THE NEWS…
….a light look at the latest local news with Caroline Manson
Student protests become violent
As is sadly often the case, planned ‘peaceful protests’ by students demanding smaller classes and more supply teachers got very quickly out of hand in various towns in the department on Friday. In Perpignan 14 arrests were made after a group caused damage to the terrace of the famous La Rotonde restaurant before marching towards Avenue Joffre in the Bas Vernet district. Here a car and a scooter were burned, bus shelters broken and also a palm tree on a roundabout was set on fire, causing the intervention of firefighters. Large numbers of national and municipal police attempted to break up the demonstration using tear gas grenades, all the time being subject to projectiles being thrown at them. It is not yet known whether ‘casseurs’ (people who have nothing to do with the protest but turn up just to cause as much damage as possible) joined the group of students. The Prefecture has written a stern letter to the parents of all the students who were arrested.
Fuel aid extended by Spanish government
A scheme under which the Spanish government subsidised the price of fuel (20 cents for diesel and 5 cents for petrol) was due to end on 1st October. The president has now announced that the scheme wlll continue until the end of the year. Despite these subsidies the price for a litre of diesel is still hovering around the 2€ mark – but considerably cheaper than the prices this side of the border.
Police block motorway at Le Boulou péage
In France if you want to hold a protest march or demonstration etc you normally inform (ask permission from) the authorities so that they can ensure that the police can be on hand if needed. Apparently this does not apply to the Police themselves, who held a surprise demonstration blocking traffic at the Le Boulou Péage last Thursday morning. The demonstration was the initiative of the Alliance Police Nationale 66 union and around 60 demonstrators from all over the region blocked motorists arriving from the direction of Spain. The demonstration was ‘peaceful’, so nobody had to arrest each other, and lasted less than one hour.
Woman stabbed to death in Ceret
On September 21st at around 3.30am a man who had just returned home from Toulouse airport with his eldest daughter discovered his wife lying motionless on the floor. Being a volunteer firefighter he tried to help her but she died as a result of her injuries, namely two knives planted one in her neck and one in her right side. At the same time it was noticed that the couple’s 15 year old son was missing. He was found very shortly afterwards having jumped around 20 metres off the Devil’s Bridge in Ceret. He was seriously injured but as he was being transported to hospital he told the firefighters that he was responsible for the injuries to his mother. Investigations are continuing but after initial examination he is being held in psychiatric facilities.
Road closed because of bee
A motorcyclist who was riding on the D66 just at the entrance to Villefranche-de-Conflent suffered a severe allergic reaction when he was stung by a bee. His state of health was so worrying that firefighters and a Samu medical team were called. The Samu 66 helicopter was also mobilised and landed on the RD66, causing traffic to be blocked in both directions. The man was taken to Perpignan Hospital (no update on his condition) and the road was reopened to traffic later in the afternoon.
Motorists disappointed after petrol price error
There is an App called Gasoil Now which compares in real-time the fuel prices of all service stations. Devotees of this App were delighted to receive an alert last week showing that the Super-U station on Denoyes Boulevard, Perpignan, was selling diesel at 1.70€ per litre. This information was duly shared on social networks and motorists flocked to the garage, only to discover it was an error on the App and that prices were as high as usual. Apparently the only sure way to check prices is by using prix-carburants.gouv.fr
And finally….
Visitors to any Cathedral are no doubt well aware that one should respect a certain dress code and limit the amount of flesh on show. For some reason Elne Cathedral have installed a security guard at the main entrance who seems to be particularly efficient at his job. As well as demanding that a 71 year old lady cover her bare arms, he also stopped a man and asked him to remove his cap before entering the building. The man was the parish priest.