On Saturday, October 3, in Gaillon, a town in the Eure department of France, more than 15,000 people gathered for a demonstration against the agrochemical industry. The event brought together farmers, caregivers, patients, residents, scientists, and environmental activists who marched against Syngenta, one of the largest agro-industrial companies in the world. The demonstration highlighted concerns about public health, food sovereignty, and environmental justice, issues that affect not only France but also its overseas territories and the global community. The event aimed to draw attention to the widespread use of pesticides and the risks they pose to human health and the environment. Speakers from various organizations, including the Confédération Paysanne, Cancer Colère, and the Soulèvements de la Terre, emphasized the dangers of pesticides, linking them to chronic diseases, cancer, and environmental degradation. According to Santé Publique France, the number of cancer cases diagnosed annually in France has more than doubled since 1990. Scientists and public health organizations, such as Inserm, have documented a strong link between exposure to chemicals, especially pesticides, and the development of cancer and other chronic diseases. Despite this, many citizens and activists believe the government has failed to adequately protect the public from these risks. The controversy over agrochemicals has been at the center of political debates in recent years. In 2025, the Duplomb bill, which aimed to relax regulations in the agro-industrial sector to boost competitiveness, sparked widespread opposition, with over 2.1 million people signing a petition against it. However, in 2026, the Agricultural Urgency Law was passed, reintroducing some of the controversial deregulations, including the use of banned pesticides. This law, supported by the far right and centrists, drew criticism from the current Minister of Ecological Transition and former socialist and Macronist ministers. Fleur Breteau, a spokesperson for Cancer Colère, criticized the government for "legislating against the sciences and the will of the citizens." The demonstration in Gaillon was not only a local event but part of a broader international movement against agrochemicals. Similar protests have taken place in the United Kingdom, Hawaii, Indonesia, Kenya, Switzerland, Argentina, and other regions, all calling for food sovereignty and environmental justice. Activists also highlighted the colonial dimensions of agrochemical use, pointing to the historical use of chemical weapons in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, including Agent Orange, and the ongoing use of glyphosate in the West Bank by the Israeli military. The decolonial procession at the demonstration included the flags of Martinique and Guadeloupe, regions heavily affected by the toxic pesticide chlordécone, which was used in banana plantations from 1972 to 1993, despite being banned in the United States in 1977 and classified as a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organization in 1979. The pesticide was only banned in France in 1990, with exemptions allowing its continued use in the French Antilles until 1993. The consequences of agrochemical use extend beyond France and its overseas territories. The production of banned pesticides in France, such as those manufactured at Syngenta plants in Euro, has been exported to countries like Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, China, and Kenya. This practice, where countries produce and export harmful substances banned in their own jurisdictions, is known as "chemical colonialism," a term coined by geographer Larissa Mies Bombardi. Similar issues are emerging in La Réunion, an overseas department in the Indian Ocean, where the use of pesticides is high despite the ban on certain substances in mainland France. The use of Asulox, a herbicide banned in Europe but used in La Réunion for sugar cane cultivation, highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing agricultural needs with public health concerns. As research into the health effects of these chemicals continues, activists and researchers are calling for a shift toward sustainable, chemical-free agricultural practices.