The use of a drone to monitor gathering this weekend in Rouen is not justified, ruled the administrative court of the city. He suspended Friday a prefectural order that planned to frame a protest against the motorway bypass project east of Rouen using drones. The magistrate considers that in the state of the investigation, the prefect "does not justify (...) the need for cameras installed on aircraft".

According to the organizers, the gathering in Léry (Eure) is "at the same time family, festive, naturalistic, instructive and determined to affirm our opposition to the destructive project of motorways east of Rouen". To justify this order, "the prefect of Eure considered that the planned gathering was likely to cause serious disturbances to public order," recalls the judge.

The fear of a second Sainte-Soline

The prefect was referring to the very violent clashes that occurred during the demonstration of March 25 and 26 in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres), after the appeal launched in particular by the collective "The uprisings of the earth" also co-organizer of the festival "Sticks in the roads".

The prefect considered it "necessary", given the size of the area to be secured, the characteristics of the site, "to have a wide-angle vision to limit the commitment of forces on the ground", recalls the magistrate. "It follows, however, from the investigation ... that this festival presents itself as (...) family, "says the judge. "The only circumstance that it is co-organized by the collective "Les uprisements de la terre" (...) is not sufficient to characterize the possibility of serious disturbances to public order," the judge said.

The use of drones has recently been the subject of several administrative appeals. Authorized by the Administrative Court of Paris for the procession of May 1, the Administrative Court of Rouen has suspended the perimeter and the hours of use of drones during the parade of May 1 in Le Havre. On May 16, the Council of State is due to examine an appeal against the decree published on April 20 by the government, on the use of drones by police and gendarmes.

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