Jules Durand

Jules Durand is a trade unionist French, anarchistic militant born with the Havre the September 6th 1880 and died in the asylum of Sotteville-the-Rouen the February 20th 1926.

Biography

Brought very early to work, he attends the popular university of the Labor markets. He begins his professional path like Docker, then becomes ( like his/her father before him ) coalman-day laborer.

It is interested quickly in the ideas of Class struggle, through the readings of Louise Michel, Proudhon or Emile Pouget. It rejoins the revolutionary Syndicalisme, assistance to constitute the departmental union of the trade unions and becomes secretary of the trade union supporter of corporatism of the coalmen ( 400 members in 1910 ).

In August 1910, this same trade union, launches an unlimited strike “against the extension of mechanization, against the expensive life, for a rise of the wages and the overtime pay”. To fight against this strike movement, the harbor and transatlantic companies havraises decide to engage men that they pay three times more expensive, but anti-strike, named “foxes” by the workmen in strike.

The September 9th 1910, five drunk men brawl: Louis Dongé, one of the foxes (i.e. a yellow ) and four other coalmen strikers ( although not syndicated ). Louis Dongé dies the following day, the four coalmen are stopped and it is the beginning of “the Durand business” which made great noise in the working world native of Le Havre at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Durand business: the bloody hunting for the fox

A politico-legal handling?

The authorities havraises ( especially the Transatlantic General Company, become Maritime General Company the April 5th 1974 ) considering that the strike does not have that too much lasted “would have bought” of the coalmen so that they testify against Jules Durand, the latter affirming that it is the trade union itself which would have voted the assassination of Louis Dongé, and who the instigator of this vote would have been Jules Durand, secretary of the trade union. The local press ( mainly Le Havre Flash ) had also seized this business making of Durand a person in charge, if not a culprit of the murder of Dongé. The business changed statute: one passed from the simple brawl between drunkards to a quasi premeditated death.

Arrest

Jules Durand is stopped the September 11th 1910 pennies the criminal charge according to: incentive and complicity of murder on the person of Louis Dongé . The four culprits are also accused of the murder, as well as the Boyer brothers, assistant secretary and treasurer of the trade union.

Lawsuit and judgments

The lawsuit opens the November 10th 1910 with the Court of Assizes of Rouen. One of lawyers of Durand will be Rene Coty, him so Le Havre-native and future president of the Fourth Republic (1954 - 1959).

The November 25th, the verdict falls: the Boyer brothers will be discharged, three of the four true culprits condemned to custodial sentences. Jules Durand receives the supreme sorrow: that of the death sentence. Taken of one attack of nerves at the end of the lawsuit, Jules Durand starts to lose the reason ( it will go 40 days to asylum ).

Continuations of the lawsuit: demonstrations of support, revision of the verdict, release and declaration of innocence

The day of the verdict, at 10 o'clock in the evening, the Federation of European and International Public Service Unions receives a telegram announcing the death sentence of Durand. It is the revolt and anger, and three hours later, it is decided to make a “agitation campaign and protests”. The November 28th, general strike a 24 hours in support for Jules Durand starts who paralyzes Le Havre and whose disturbances will last finally beyond…

In front of the movements which gain in France and on the other side of the Atlantic (England and the United States) and the disapproval of Ligue of the human rights, its capital punishment is commuted to seven years of reclusion.

The mobilization not losing a its force, it is finally released the February 15th 1911, but to go directly to the asylum (Psychiatric hospital) of Sotteville-the-Rouen where it will die the February 20th 1926. Meanwhile, the June 15th 1918, it is declared innocent.

In connection with the Durand business

Armand Salacrou, writer native of Le Havre drew a play from the business: Durand Boulevard (Chronic of a forgotten lawsuit) , ED. Gallimard, 288 p., 1961. Republications in the collection " Folio" as from 1972.

Alain Scoff is the author of a work on the business, One named Durand ED. JC Lattés, 1984.

Note

Random links: