“Culture is not a luxury”, “burial of culture” AND “artists in struggle” : Some 3,200 people, according to the prefecture, gathered in Nantes, on Monday morning, November 25, in front of the Pays de la Loire regional hotel to protest against the drastic cuts planned by the latter in its subsidies to the cultural sector.
The region’s budget has not yet been voted on, but many cultural actors claim to have been informed by the region of a drastic reduction in the subsidies that will be granted to them. Different actors and unions cite a drop of around 75% in the budget dedicated to culture by the regional council, decided by its president Christelle Morançais (Horizons).
“For some, it will be less than 50% next year and nothing the year after that; for others, nothing from 2025. Many workers, already precarious, will no longer find work”denounced Noémie Daunas, from Synptac-CGT. “It is catastrophic, the entire artistic sector of the region is threatened, in a territory that, however, has put emphasis on tourism, where numerous festivals are held”laments Virginie Frappart, a 51-year-old actress, who participated in the demonstration.
Savings plan of 100 million euros in the 2025 budget
At the request of Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Pays de la Loire region could not immediately be contacted. Last week, the regional council neither confirmed nor denied this information. “The presentation of the region’s budget will be made at the time of the budget session, in December”responded the press service.
While the State’s drain on local finances represents a loss of 40 million euros for the Pays de la Loire, Christelle Morançais announced that she would go further with savings “of the order of 100 million”.
The cultural sector is not the only one denouncing budget cuts: the regional family planning federation stated in a press release on Friday that it had learned that the region was considering cuts as early as 2025. “the pure and simple elimination of subsidies” that are paid. METROme Morançais also announced on November 19 the “100 positions will not be replaced within our departments, the equivalent of 10% of our workforce” at the end of his term.
