A farmer trained at the JAC (Christian youth farmers), Alphonse Arzel became Mayor of Ploudalmézeau in 1961. He held this position for forty years. He was also the departmental councilor for the administrative region of Ploudalmézeau from 1967-1985 and senator of Finistère from 1983 to 2001. In 1974, he became President of the agricultural Chamber of Finistère. An environmentalist ahead of his time, he worked to protect the coast of his commune, namely the dunes of Tréompan.
Plodalmézeau was the commune that was most affected by the Amoco Cadiz oil spill. Alphonse Arzel worked relentlessly from the very beginning to manage the disaster but also to hold those responsible to account. It is thanks to his fight against Standard Oil of Indiana, the company that owned the Amoco Cadiz that he became a historical figure in Brittany: a Breton version of the fight between David and Goliath. His loquacity, his accent, his physique all rendered him into an unforgettable and media-friendly figure.
With Charles Josselin, the president of the departmental council of the Côtes-du-Nord in particular, he founded in 1980, the joint Federation for the protection and the conservation of Brittany’s North-West coast. He became President of the Federation and held the position until 2001. He did not hesitate in crossing the Atlantic regularly- fourteen trips in as many years- to move the case file forward and to follow the trial. His energy, his determination and his ability to overcome divisions proved to be crucial in leading the fight towards the final judgement received in 1992.
