Nantes: Open letter & news from the ZAD

Dear committees, We are a certain number of people who felt the need to write to you from the movement of occupation on the ZAD. Some months ago, while the eviction threat and works were paused, carried nevertheless by the strength of the fighting solidarity of last autumn, many among us started to entertain the possibility of the airport project being abandoned. We had even started to imagine what could become of this zone in social, agricultural and political terms. While these reflections were crucial and helped us to breathe new life into the struggle and a new sense to the movement, we feel today a regain of tension.

The pro-airport people, the police bureaucracy, Vinci and their cohorts are undeniably re-starting their offensives: warlike announcements and victorious commentaries of the rejection of the appeal to the European Union courts, leaks of sneaky plans of agent provocateurs, upcoming publication of police decrees necessary to the “improvement of the project”, hazy responses from the bosses of the civil aviation department about the cost of maintaining the current airport in Nantes, preparation of the transfer of endangered species and works on the barreau routier (4 lane highway to precede the airport), European authorization to the French government to release 150 million euros to build the airport… The sky which darkens in this time, the beginning of winter, is swept by dirty rumours and converging signs. It reminds us of the necessity of seriously focusing ourselves on the possibility of starting construction, accompanied or preceded by new police offensives. After having, in this letter, pared down to the most urgent and made the points of the threats that weigh on the zad and on the different points of view on actions, demos and reactions in the coming months, we would also like to take the time to give some feedback on life here and on some of the major events of these past months. We feel like we have not always managed to transmit where we were in the struggle and what was going on since the end of the military occupation, or only in a scattered manner. We see well that, from far away, it’s not always easy to figure out what is up in the fields and forests.

Before going forward, let’s remember that we are not speaking here in the name of the “movement of occupation” a diverse and heterogenous entity without unified representation (which is a good thing). We have nevertheless taken on the task in the second part of making heard all the way to where you live some voices of occupiers and we hope to re-start these dialogues and necessary exchanges to envision together what is to follow. The beginning of 2014 will be without a doubt decisive and thus we need to prepare ourselves accordingly. We can’t win the battles to come without counting on the cumulative force of all the committees. One of the important goals of this letter is to invite all the local committees to a meeting, notably those who are geographically the closest, Saturday January 11th 2014 (place TDB close to the ZAD) to prepare the next communal actions.

Nantes: Callout for a big protest and decentralised action for the anniversary of ZAD evictions

Unedited translation:

# Press Release from the ZAD ======================

19 October 2013: Protest anniversary of evictions. 14H instead Brittany, Nantes

The signatories of this statement calling for a big event October 19, 2013 at 14H, instead Bertagne in Nantes.This is part of the first anniversary against evictions last fall, the failed operation to demolish the ZAD called “Caesar” to those hard-housed occupying the space LU various places since then.

# # Evictions on ZAD …

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October 16, 2012 in the morning, the state kicked off the Caesar operation to remove and destroy the places occupied the ZAD of Notre Dame des Landes in opposition to the airport project.

At 10:30 on the field with his troops, the prefect of the Loire-Atlantique said that the operation was completed successfully and that the military occupation of the ZAD would last “a few days” to complete the destruction of homes. Given the resistance that is organized and developed, taking many forms there and everywhere, facing external solidarity ZAD who provided logistical, political and moral support, these “few days” have become months .. . ZAD is always busy!

# # A call for decentralized anniversary days

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This summer, during a meeting of local committees, the idea came to celebrate the anniversary of the start of this disastrous operation. A call for a day of action on October 16 relocated was launched. In response events will be held throughout the week of October 14 to 20.

# # And evictions inadequately housed in Nantes

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Last fall also, while the government was trying to empty the ZAD, Ayrault, the PS state and the city of Nantes expelled precarious and homeless occupying the Lieu Unique to challenge the authorities on the situation of hundreds people on the streets and expose their hypocritical poor housing management. Today, as a result of this movement, more than a hundred homeless people occupying a former vacuum PJJ building facing eviction with no or their proposed solution.

# # Double reason to show for birthday

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Many collectives have wanted to mark the double anniversary by offering a demonstration in Nantes against all deportations. It seems important to remind concreters ejectors and all kinds of our commitment to the risks of repetition of history, the ZAD as Nantes. That is why we invite you to join in the demonstration PLACE BRITAIN Saturday, October 19 at 14h.

# # Other events

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* October 16: Night of Caesar Repression. 7:30 p.m. at the prefecture of Nantes

* October 18: discussion of the book “Predators of concrete survey multinational Vinci” 20h to B17 in Nantes (17 rue Paul Bellamy), with the author Nicolas De La Casinière.

* 18 October: Concerts Support Native American struggles 21h workshops Bitches in Nantes (3 rue de Bitche), Haymarket (anarcho-punk) & Klee Benally (folk-rock, a former member of Blackfire)

* October 19: 14h anniversary event instead Brittany in Nantes

* 19 October: Concerts 19h support Wardine on ZAD, Haymarket (anarcho-punk) & Klee Benally (folk-rock, a former member of Blackfire)

# Signatories: ==============

Nantais Committee Against Airport (CNCA), PAL 44, Collective against the University of Nantes Airport (Cunca) Collective A Roof for All and All, Anti Repression Committee, individuated …

Nantes: Resistance is Fertile- One Account From the Zad

An extract from an article written by a Combatant at the Zad:

The Zad or Zone A Défendre (Zone to defend) is a large protest site in rural wetland outside the
French city of Nantes. The site is the location chosen by French Company Vinci on which to
build a second airport for the city. The airports building would mean the loss of many miles
of grassy wetland, and displace hundreds of residents and local farmers.

[TW police brutality\graphic detail] So it just kicked of again in the
ZAD, heres a first hand account of what happened. It’s a bit long and
probably has grammatical errors..

My ZAD experience this time has been completely different juxtaposed to
last years adventure. Hitching from Nantes to La ZAD this time a year ago
no one new about the anti-arport occupation where as this year everybody
was talking about it [after the evictions in November the ZAD was national
front page news].

I had to get dropped off slightly outside the zone because the police had
set up a check point on the road. After spending too long walking over
fields with all my tools and backpack. I finally got onto the D281, the
whole road is in the control of the ZAD residents. At first I passed a few
stacks of branches blocking parts of the road, I thought it was pretty
cute. Then every 10-50 meters would be a new barricade usually bigger than
the last until I was see huge piles of tires, haystacks and other
burnables with spikey shit jutting out of it and painted messages all
over the road, trenches dug deep through the tarmac and stone until they
hit water, projectiles lying in wait everywhere!

There is an air of militancy around the ZAD that wasn’t there before, this
is a real reinvention the meaning of “barricaded up to fuck”. Yet despite
this need for defenses there is still a lot of really cool projects going
on. There is still the ZADs own bakery, farm, bike workshops, libraries,
pirate radio, bars, internet cafe/comms van and probably loads more that I
haven’t stumble across yet.

I was anxious about coming because I’ve had reports of the ZAD [at the
moment] being hard for people turning up who don’t already know people on
la ZAD especially if [English is not your 1st language]. This is a bit
true but I think if you have a little self confidence and an initiative to
get up and do stuff you’ll be alright.

The weekend just saw an event called “Seme Ta ZAD” inviting the public to
come for a day of demonstration and various gardening events. Tonnes of
people of all ages and backgrounds rocked up and the event was really
successful. During the weekend the cops left their usual permanent check
point on the D81 road. ZADians and their supporters wasted no time
reclaiming the road with barricades and trenches dug out with pick axes.

Monday morning I woke before Sunrise and cycled the several kms to the
freshly liberated road. People were already standing around, some masked
up, watching figures on the opposite hill. At 1st I was unaware what was
unfolding. It later transpired that people were harassing the cops before
the could have their pre-raid breakfast. The cops aimlessly chased the
figures around the field a bit firring tear gas and concussion grenades.
Then the avant garde came running back and thats when things kicked the
fuck off.

The cops rocked up in vans in front of the 1st barricade and ran into the
adjacent woods and field trying to flank and rush us. Bricks, bottles and
the first molotov came out. In the confusion or out of stupidness a unit
of the filth rushed into the middle of crowd [now aprrox 30 and growing
rapidly]. Two hero cops jumped a combatant and all 3 ended up in a large
ditch on the side of the road. Then the next thing I know our friend has
made it out of the ditch and the cops are getting beaten hard by their own
battons! A cop across the road is also getting a kick in. The rest of
their “courageous” unit have bricked it returned to the safety of the
woods. The two manage to stubble out of the ditch and as they ran off one
gets hit with a molotov and is a burning cop. The crowd cheer.