page_title: Marcelin Albert
section_title: Winegrower's revolt
hierarchical_section_title: Marcelin Albert / Winegrower's revolt
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Marcellin Albert face à Clémenceau
context_page_description: Marcelin Albert was a French cafe owner and winegrower considered the leader of the 1907 revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers.
context_section_description: On 11 March 1907 the signal for the revolt was given by a group of Minervois vine growers in Argeliers. 
  They were led by Albert and Elie Bernard, who founded the Comité de defense viticole (Committee of Viticulture Defense), known as the Comité d'Argeliers (Argeliers Committee). 
  The Committee was composed of President Marcelin Albert, Vice-President Édouard Bourges and Secretaries Cathala, Richard and Bernard.
  They organized a march to Narbonne of 87 vine growers for an interview with a parliamentary commission. 
  The parliamentary committee to review the situation arrived in Narbonne on 11 March and received a delegation led by Albert.
  The outcome was not satisfactory.
  After their testimony the winegrowers' committee made a tour of the city, for the first time singing La Vigneronne, which from that day became the anthem of the revolt of the paupers.
  Albert considered the one and only worthwhile fight was for natural wines. 
  He refused to engage in the debate on the divergent interests of the workers and the owners, did not question the presence of royalists who openly wanted to claim the movement, and did not appreciate that on the pretext that the Occitan language is the mother tongue of the Midi wine growers, the regionalists want to make the fight into a separatist movement.
  On 24 March the first meeting organized by the Committee of Argeliers was held in front of 300 people  in Sallèles-d'Aude. 
  Marcelin Albert stood out for his gifts as an orator and his charisma.
  During the revolt he was often called "the messiah" or "the redeemer". 
  It was agreed to hold a meeting every Sunday in a different city.
  On 21 April the first issue of Le Tocsin was published by the Argeliers Committee.
  It as a weekly directed by Marcelin Albert and written by Louis Blanc. 
  The first issue contained a request to parliament to pass a law against wine fraud.
  Albert remained vague about what he wanted done.
  In his view it was up to the government to solve the crisis.
  On 12 May 1907 these were 150,000 demonstrators at the Béziers rally.Jean Jaurès spoke and then Albert launched an ultimatum to the government asking it to raise the price of wine.
  Ernest Ferroul set this ultimatum to expire on 10 June and advocated a tax strike if the government had not acted by then.
  On 26 May from 220,000 to 250,000 people demonstrated in Carcassonne.
  Marcelin Albert said, "The Albigenses were once gathered under these walls, they fell there in defense of their freedom. 
  We will do like them! Forward for the defense of our rights! The Midi wants it, the Midi will have it!"
  On 9 June 1907 there was a gigantic gathering in Montpellier. 
  The Place de la Comédie was invaded by a crowd estimated to number from 600,000 to 800,000 people.
  Marcelin Albert delivered such a speech that the journalist for Le Figaro wrote, "It was mad, sublime, terrifying".
  On 19 June Ernest Ferroul was arrested at dawn at his home in Narbonne by troops of the 139th Infantry Regiment and imprisoned in Montpellier. 
  News of the planned arrest of all members of the Committee of Argeliers caused an explosion.
  Marcelin Albert, who had not been arrested, was hidden in the belfry of Argeliers.
  Chased by the police, Marcelin Albert fled to Paris where he arrived on 22 June 1907. 
  The National Assembly, in full debate over the bill against fraud, refused to receive him. 
  Georges Clemenceau heard of his presence and agreed to grant him a hearing. 
  The premier received him in his role of Minister of the Interior at Place Beauvau. 
  During their interview he promised to repress fraud if, in return, Albert returned to Languedoc to calm the rebellion, and even agreed to be a prisoner. 
  Clemenceau signed a safe-conduct for his return to the Aude and gave him one hundred francs to pay for his return by train. 
  Albert was naive enough to accept it.
  Clemenceau took the opportunity to give his version to the political journalists and stressed the history of the payment. 
  The national dailies took this up and Albert's status changed from redeemer to sell-out.
  On 24 June Albert was back in Narbonne. 
  He me
caption: Marcelin Albert and Clemenceau, front page of Le Petit Journal, 7 July 1907
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