European elections: “the train is the future” for the communist Fabien Roussel, campaigning in Gard

Fabien Roussel and Léon Deffontaines went to the platform of Pont-Saint-Esprit station, guided by the president of the TER right bank association Pascal Rousson. C.B.

The candidates for the European elections Léon Deffontaines and Fabien Roussel, on the station square with in particular the regional elected officials Jean-Luc Gibelin and Claire Lapeyronie. C.B.

The national secretary of the PCF Fabien Roussel and the head of the Communist Party list for the European elections Léon Deffontaines met on Tuesday February 13 with activists and elected officials in Pont-Saint-Esprit to talk about mobility. 

"The train is the future" launched Tuesday February 13 Fabien Roussel, the national secretary of the PCF,   to communist activists, representatives of the TER-SNCF users association on the right bank and local elected officials in front of Pont-Saint-Esprit station, where he went at the start of # afternoon with the head of the communist list in the European elections, Léon Deffontaines. Both continuing their tour of France's departments as part of their electoral campaign, "to make a connection between the decisions that are taken on a European scale and the daily lives of people" said the young candidate, alongside Fabien Roussel, symbolically in last position on the communist list.

"Europe seems very far away, yet it has very concrete consequences on our lives, particularly with the competition between rail, which has called into question the lines of everyday life, ;existence of local stations… These are decisions which are being debated today in the European Parliament. We come to make the link between the exemplary fight led by the railway workers' collectives, by citizens for the reopening of new lines and the fights we are leading at the European level" he called back. 

The reopening of the Right Bank line, "fifty years of struggle"

A few hours before their public meeting planned in Saint-Martin-de-Valguagues, the former candidate for the presidential election and the man who was his spokesperson greeted the reopening of the rail line to passengers since August 29, 2022, the fruit "of fifty years of struggle" including that of the Bagnolese communist Laurette Bastaroli, to whom Fabien Roussel paid tribute. "There are still many things to improve but we are mobilized" underlined Bagnolais Elian Cellier, secretary of the local PC who offered the guests a book on the history of the railway line. "Passengers hit the road again" lack of adequate timetables, warns the president of the TER users association, Pascal Rousson.

The reopening to  travelers, "a victory for public service"

Reopening to travelers "it's a victory for public service and it's the most ecological transport& quot;, appreciates Fabien Roussel, while greeting "the commitment of Carole Delga (president of the Occitanie region), who invests in rail in good agreement with her majority" . Including its vice-president in charge of mobility, the   communist Jean-Luc Gibelin, present on Tuesday, as was the mayor of Pont-Saint-Esprit and regional councilor Claire Lapeyronie. Occitanie offers "the most attractive price range in France" recalled the vice-president, a region which voted against the opening of TERs to competition. 

"We need to develop local public services if we do not want to achieve a France of metropolises (…). It it is necessary to develop the lines (rail) daily lines, high-speed lines, freight railway"defended the candidate in the European elections. Which supposes "colossal public investments which must not be borne only by the Regions and municipalities, the State must take its full share"  asks Fabien Roussel. "Europe must be the means to support these investments".

For agriculture, “exit free trade agreements”

"There are two topics for farmers" underlined Tuesday February 13 the head of the list for the European elections of the PC Léon Deffontaines, on tour in the Gard, from department où the mobilization of farmers was strong. "We must stop free trade, get out of free trade agreements".

Another subject, "we must refuse the enlargement of the European Union to countries which do of unfair competition", à the example of Ukraine or Moldova. "We loweredé customs duties in Ukraine, and we have Ukrainian chicken, and çbenefited the oligarchs" he reminded.