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The shores of Fos-sur-Mer and the Étang de Berre have been confronted with the socio-economic and environmental impact of heavy industry for more than two centuries. The area has specialised in mixed farming, salt production, fishing and seaside activities for many years. Also, for more than two centuries, its residents have been concerned about, and openly and violently opposed to, the various pollutants linked to industrial activity more or less regularly. This text takes a look at one of the highlights of this century-long history of conflict – the Saint-Mitre riots in the first half of the 19th century –, to analyse its origins and challenges, and to assess what the rising can reveal of the various power struggles and social inequalities operating in this territory – especially in dealing with illness, death and the various elements that make up the distinctiveness, or even its unusual character of the riots, in view of what we already know about similar conflicts that have happened in Provence and the rest of the world.