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POLLUTION

Asthmatic yoga teacher sues France after ‘near death’ during Paris pollution spike

A Frenchwoman suffering from chronic respiratory problems on Wednesday sued the state, accusing it of failing to protect her from air pollution in Paris.

Published: 8 June 2017 09:37 CEST
Asthmatic yoga teacher sues France after 'near death' during Paris pollution spike
Photo: AFP
Clotilde Nonnez, an asthmatic 56-year-old yoga teacher, told AFP that she had “nearly died” during a spike in air pollution in the capital in December 2016.
 
Her breathing difficulties had triggered “a serious cardiac problem” she said, adding: “I'm still not over it”.
 
Her lawyer Francois Lafforgue said his client was seeking €140,000 ($158,000) for the damage to her health caused by the state's “culpable incompetence” on pollution.
 
“Her life (has) been heavily disrupted by her medical problems, spells in hospital during during peaks (in pollution) and her ongoing treatment,” he said, adding that poor air quality had also increased her chance of getting
cancer.
 
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Photo: AFP

 
“The victims are invisible so we hope this case will force the authorities to take the full measure of the problem,” said Olivier Blond, the president of the environmentalist group Respire (Breathe).
 
Nonnez accuses the state of failing to get tough on polluters and of not overseeing the proper implementation of preventive measures already in place.
 
“What I'm hoping for is that the authorities will admit to their failure to manage the problem going back years,” she said.
 
While she is the first such plaintiff to come forward, Lafforgue said around 30 others in Paris, the northern city of Lille and around the southeastern city of Lyon were also planning legal action.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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