In August 1984, the Béarnese poet Alexis Arette-Lendresse was arrested on his farm in Momas by the police, who suspected him of plotting a bomb attack. How could this erudite farmer, president of a powerful agricultural union, have slipped up?
Alexis Arette-Lendresseis the image of the Béarnese peasant rooted in his land, but also that of a scholar, poet and writer. Born in 1927 in Momas, he took over the family farm in 1953, while committing himself to the fierce defense of small farmers. Very quickly, he became a key figure in trade unionism, presiding over the powerful French Federation of Farmers (FFA). The peasant-poet is also a passionate activist for Béarnese traditions, to the point of creating the Siros festival, which is dedicated to them. He is also the author of numerous works related to his native land.
The specter of a “state scandal”
However, beneath this carefully trimmed moustache and reputation as a man of letters, lies a character with strong political convictions. Situated on the far right of the spectrum, he never minces his words, particularly against what he calls a “state scandal”: the monopoly on artificial inseminationowned by large cooperatives approved by the state. According to Arette-Landresse, this takeover has disastrous consequences for small farmers.
The summer of 1984 would mark a turning point. On August 27, two men were arrested in the middle of the night near Clarac, in Haute-Garonne. In their trunk? The perfect paraphernalia for an attackTheir target? The house of Dominique Manent, head of a cattle cooperative. Under pressure, the two suspects quickly confess and name their sponsors: Alexis Arette-Lendresse and his right-hand man, Jean-Marie Jegun, vice-president of the FFA.
Why would this poet-unionist be involved in such a plot? What will happen when the police knock on the door of Alexis Arette-Lendresse’s farm in Momas? An arrest that will shake up all of Béarn… to be discovered in “Closed Cases”.
Closed cases told by Thierry Sagardoytho
Every Monday, in “Closed Cases Told by Thierry Sagardoytho”, the lawyer and legal columnist reopens a case from the judicial archives of Béarn, Bigorre and the Basque Country. Relive these cases, sometimes famous, sometimes forgotten, which made headlines.
You can also listen to this column again on the ICI app and the Radio France app.
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Broadcast on 05/27/2024
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