Burglary of residence of the president of Pays d’Oc wines: two free winegrowers but a very upbeat profession

Benjamin Bories and Florent Allier, who spent the night in police custody, were accused of having presented themselves, at the beginning of April, in front of the home of Jacques Gravegeal to "demand explanations" following the eviction of one of their own. The trial is scheduled for July 16. 

To say that the legal episode experienced by winegrowers for having entered the home of the president of the Pays d’Oc wine union further accentuates the winegrowers' anger in the region, is a matter of fact. euphemism.

This Wednesday, May 22, there was a welcoming committee of around fifty winegrowers in the morning to bear witness to this tension. They came to the square in front of the judicial city of Montpellier, under police surveillance, to support Benjamin Bories, 40 years old, wine grower in Servian (Hérault) and Florent Allier, 42 years old, wine grower in Aspères (Gard). Who was accused of having, on the morning of April 6, presented himself at the home of the president of the Pays d’Oc IGP wine union, Jacques Gravegeal for an explanation.

"Light judicial review"

Threats ? Home invasion ? Two winegrowers out of six summoned, who spent a night in police custody, one at the Saint-Georges-d’Orques gendarmerie , the other at that of Saint-Jean-de-Védas had to answer for it. Referred to the prosecution in the morning then presented before a liberty and detention judge for a rather lenient decision. By deciding to release them with "light judicial control", as confirmed by Me Jean-Robert Phung, lawyer for Benjamin Bories a little disillusioned: "There is no home invasion. They introduced themselves, they came to chat. They rang the doorbell. Then when Mrs Gravegeal said that Jacques Gravegeal’was not there, they left saying: "Goodbye madam and thank you".

In this case, the JLD still decided to prohibit them from going to the home of Jacques Gravegeal or even from meeting him and his wife.

Call for calm

The two defendants emerged free but separately. Because they have no right to be in contact. One more measure which makes Me Gilles Gauer, Florent Allier's lawyer, say that we end up getting used to this disproportionate treatment. A simple summons could have been enough, police custody was useless, spent a night in jail a fortiori".

As a wise old man, Jean Huillet, an ex-unionist, came to appeal for calm: "They are just waiting for this to prove us wrong. We must remain dignified". However, he regretted that a union official like Mr. Gravegeal refused dialogue. When we are a union official we talk with the winegrowers because they are the ones who elect us, we do not send them to court.

"Mr. Gravegeal has a long arm but we have our hands in the ground"

"I spent a night in police custody for telling the truth. That I went to Jacques Gravegeal and that when I was told that he was not there, I left. There were no threats, we just wanted explanations", explains Florent Allier. The committee which came at 7 a.m. in the morning wanted to understand why the general secretary, Gérard Bancillon, had been removed from the board of directors without explanations from the boss of the IGP Pays d'Oc.

"Mr. Gravegeal has a long arm but we have our hands in the ground. But our fight will continue. We still have our courage", says Servian winegrower Benjamin Bories indignantly after having long embraced his father, Martial Bories, president of Vignerons de l’Occitane, very much in anger too. On the pretext that "Mr. Gravegeal cannot remain our president, he cannot remain in office. He must resign".

Complaint for slanderous denunciation

Florent Allier was indignant in front of his friends who came to support him: "When a peasant files a complaint against a peasant, that’ rsquo;is still terrible. I won’t say any more. I just hope that viticulture will get through this.

Proof that the anger remains muted and that the matter is not resolved, Jean-Marie Trémoulet, winegrower for 50 years in Gailhan (Gard) who was also one of those summoned in the gendarmerie decided to file a complaint against Mr. Gravegeal for slanderous denunciation: "He said that I was there while I was in the hospital for serious health problems", is indignant -he.

And the case is not quite over since Benjamin Bories and Florent Allier are summoned before the Montpellier court on July 16. For a new round and a new cry of anger and injustice uttered by these exasperated winegrowers…

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