Press Release
July 28th, 2011
No airplanes! No evictions!
Today at the Nantes Atlantic airport several hundred activists opposed to the construction of an airport at Notre-Dame-des-Landes occupied the terminals in a festive fashion. The protesters are against the project to construct a second airport in the Nantes region.
The group of protesters, composed of a brigade of activist clowns, of families in costumes, of a walking vegetable garden… mainly those menaced by evictions in the proposed construction zone, but also their supporters from throughout Europe. They entered Terminal 1 peacefully, singing and chanting slogans. When protesters went upstairs near the administrative offices to speak with the directors, a squadron of thirty riot police (CRS) violently charged them without warning. Laurence was beaten to the ground several times and gravely injured. She now suffers from a pulmonary perforation and two broken ribs, all brought on by the riot police and their clubs. She was in critical condition for several hours, but at the end of the evening started showing signs of recovery.
Another participant had his head split open by a blow from a police baton, and he was also taken away for emergency medical care. Several others suffer from various bruises, many of which are on their heads, as a result of the riot squadron’s baton attacks. Faced with the violence of these attacks, certain people attempted to protect civilians by throwing different objects into the path of the riot police. Four people were held for questioning. One was immediately sent to trial. The others were released after four hours of activist pressure.
Once again, the State chooses violence rather than dialog. This violence is neverending and puts all who still dare to express themselves at risk of death.
On the way home, the police proceeded to stop all militant vehicules on the road. This was done several dozen kilometers from the airport. In protest, activists blocked a section of the Nantes beltway and the road towards Vannes in an “operation escargot.”
No form of repression will shut us up,
We demand that legal action cease against those arrested,
We demand the abandonment of the airport project at Notre-Dame-des-Landes!
For contact and information: 06 46 04 98 07
NoG2011 Autonomous Village of Notre-Dame-des-Landes
