Six winegrowers interviewed for entering the home of the president of Pays d’Oc wines, anger rises a notch

La colère monte chez certains vignerons. Illustration Midi Libre – RICHARD DE HULLESSEN

Several winegrowers presented themselves, at the beginning of April, in front of Jacques Gravegeal's home to "demand explanations". But he is also mayor of the small village of Campagne and benefits from the law strengthening the security of elected officials. Two of the winegrowers could be referred to the prosecution this Wednesday, May 22.

Six winegrowers from Gard and Hérault were interviewed this Tuesday, May 21 in several Hérault gendarmerie brigades. They are accused of having entered, on the morning of April 6, the home of the president of the Pays d’Oc IGP wine union.

The matter is sensitive. Because under another hat, Jacques Gravegeal has also been mayor, since 1971, of the small Hérault commune of Campagne. However, in the national context of increased violence against elected officials, the recent law of March 21, 2024 strengthens their security, with increased sanctions in the event of aggression. The process also provides for a rapid feedback of information at Place Beauvau, to the office of the Minister of the Interior.

"Everything was cordial"

The incriminated winegrowers and their supporters – who appear to be non-unionized –, refute the idea of ​​having wanted to attack an elected official. "Mr. Gravegeal plays on his different statuses. But it was the president of the IGP that our colleagues came to see. Anyway, everything was cordial. He was absent, as his wife indicated, so everyone left without insult or threat", assures Freddy Paulet, winegrower in Moussac, in Gard.

According to Martial Bories, president of Vignerons de l’Occitane in Servian, who was summoned by the gendarmes in the afternoon – while he was not part of the group that showed up in Campagne, he said –, the objective was to demand explanations from Jacques Gravegeal "after the unfounded decision to remove the secretary general (Gérard Bancillon) from the board of directors of the IGP. But they didn’t break anything. They are reasonable young people who just want to make a living from their work", he pleaded before responding to his summons. His son, interviewed since the morning, was still facing investigators this Tuesday evening.

What sequels?

According to Gardois Jean-Marie Tremoulet, there were still two of them in police custody at 7 p.m., in order to be referred this Wednesday morning to the Montpellier public prosecutor's office. "We will also be before the court", he promises, in particular to decide on the follow-up to be given to these events "unpublished". They are part of a period of agricultural crisis and strong tensions, particularly in the wine world.

On March 18, around thirty of these winegrowers were invited to the board of directors of the Pays d’Oc wine union to express their grievances, taking advantage of the presence in the same place of regional wine representatives, "because until then they refused to hear us". The discussion was very lively. According to our information, other demonstrations of anger have taken place since then, targeting Jacques Gravegeal in particular. He prefers not to express himself for the moment.

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