Ecologist MEP Michèle Rivasi, a party figure among activists, died suddenly at the age of 70, several members of the Ecologists, including the president, announced on Wednesday.
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“ An ecology fighter has passed away. Michèle Rivasi has died. His unexpected death leaves a huge void “, announced Marie Toussaint, head of the list of Ecologists to the Europeans on X. “ She was one of those tireless activists, friendly, authentic, accessible. We mourn a great lady of political ecology », assured Marine Tondelier on the same social network. “ She was a convinced environmentalist (…), fighting against lobbies, tireless MEP. We will miss his energy for ecology, health and life », Estimated for his part Bruno Bernard, president of the metropolis of Lyon.
Born on February 9, 1953 in Montélimar, Michèle Rivasi, a normalienne agréé in biology, was preparing to complete her third term in the European Parliament where she was particularly known for her anti-pharmaceutical and anti-pesticide lobbies positions. Little known to the general public, this smiling brunette with a Provençal accent and a strong character, “ never let go », paid tribute to Marie Toussaint.
She was very popular with environmental activists who placed her ahead of Cécile Duflot during the 2016 primaries – before the 2017 presidential election. In 2019, she also almost took the lead from Europeans to Yannick Jadot.
She founded the Independent Research and Information Commission on Radioactivity (Criirad) in 1986, two weeks after the Chernobyl disaster. Very involved in the fight against air pollution, she has more recently distinguished herself by controversial positions taken against vaccination.
During the Covid-19 epidemic, she took a position against compulsory vaccination and compared the health pass with apartheid, the South African regime which from 1948 to 1991 established segregationist laws.
(With AFP)