News

Parties, organizations call for reunification and autonomy for Brittany

Most recent Breton manifesto wants unity of Brittany's "driving forces" in order to move towards self-government · The text wants "positive and concrete" answers from the French government · Ratification of European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and official status for languages of Brittany, key demands

Breton associations and political parties are trying to give momentum to the proposal of Brittany's reunification through a new manifesto where they link Brittany's territorial integrity to democatic and linguistic improvements. A historical claim of Breton nationalism (the merger of the official Region of Brittany and the departament of Loire Atlantique, see map) is thus now binded to two important political and administrative demands. On the one hand, the manifesto wants Brittany to become a territorial collectivity of the French Republic, and on the other hand, it proposes that this new collectivity has its own Assembly through a specific statute (similar to the Corsican case).

The text is addressed to the president of the French Republic, François Hollande, also holds several demands in the field of linguistic rights. The manifesto wants the French government to ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and to agree official status for the own languages of Brittany, i.e. Breton and Gallo. The establishment of a bilingual, public multimedia group (TV and radio) is also demanded.

The main Breton political parties are supporting the manifesto (including the Breton Democratic Union, Breton Party, Movement Brittany Progress and Breizhistance), as is the Breton section of Europe Ecology-The Greens and several pro-Breton language organizations (Ai'ta, Kevre Breizh) and pro-reunification associations (Bretagne Réunie, 44=Breizh).

Breton schools Diwan have since also joined the call.

A new step in Breton demands

Breton parties and organizations have been demanding reunification of Brittany for decades. But this time the way the demand is being posed seems more overarching and consolidated. The manifesto explicitly intends to gather all the "driving forces" of Brittany behind these demands. The text considers that changes are urgent and that is why it calls for "positive and concrete" steps by the French government.