Calais: Recent police attacks on distributions

By: sisulscz - July 28th, 2017  Filed under: Communique

In the last weeks the police have started to include attacks on support infrastructure in their campaign of violence and intimidation against people on the move in this city. Volunteers and supporters in Calais have been reporting police attacks during food distributions, traffic stops and fines when going out in association vehicles to do distributions, threats to seize vehicles, poisoning of water supplies, and the destruction of donations. This is in addition to the police violence which takes place daily in the jungles, at the parkings, and in the streets for which volunteers are not often present.

Image: Water containers contaminated with CS gas
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Solidarity statement from Rosa de Foc Squat in Athens, Greece, to anti-airport struggle ZAD in France

By: xxx - July 21st, 2017  Filed under: News

As an international housing squat we think solidarity is our weapon, and as we all know weapons have categories, from handguns to nuclear bombs. Revolutionary solidarity doesn’t have boundaries and can only benefit the struggle. We are already starting to try our theories in practice about this.

International solidarity means bringing and taking ideas from one place to another, placing priorities and supporting the place that needs our help the most. Help is not only texts, supplies and solidarity demonstrations in our territory, but also our physical presence there. Working with the people, learning their language and their culture. Basic ingredients if we want to be effective and helpful, because every battle ground is different. [Read More]

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Bure (France): Protests and attacks against the CIGEO nuclear disposal project

By: xxx - February 23rd, 2017  Filed under: News

On Saturday, February 19, in Bure, in the north-east of France, a demo took place in the forest to support the occupation there and then on to the research lab of the planned nuclear waste disposal facility CIGEO. In the process, the ANDRA (French nuclear waste disposal agency) was pushed back more or less symbolically to a section of its illegally constructed wall in the forest. A small action report.

More than 700 people took part in Bure’s February 2017 events, which in the late afternoon resulted in violent protests and massive attacks against the site of the nuclear waste disposal agency ANDRA. [Read More]

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Calais Research Network: 40+ companies profiting from the Jungle eviction and border violence

By: xxx - October 19th, 2016  Filed under: News

The eviction of the Calais jungle is about to begin, but who does this act of brutality serve? On the one hand, cynical politicians looking to the French presidential election next year, desperately trying to cling onto power with a show of toughness. But also, it will boost the profits of a host of private companies who supply the rubber bullets and barbed wire, bulldozers and deportation buses. [Read More]

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Calais (France): Updates of the October 1st Demo

By: xxx - October 12th, 2016  Filed under: News

A comrade was arrested and charged for attempting to conceal his identity and participating in an unauthorized demonstration; the trial will be on 7 November, in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

The following text has been translated from French, from an article published on October 3rd, 2016 on Squat!net. The next solidarity gathering will take place in Calais, on friday October 14th, at 4pm, Places d’Armes.

This Saturday, October 1st, a solidarity demonstration was scheduled in Calais departing from the “Jungle”, the name given to the largest slum of France, where thousands of migrants are living. The event had to cross through Calais to reach its ending point downtown.

Two days before, the protest had been “prohibited” by the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais, Fabienne Buccio, who announced “a ban on any protest demonstrations in connection with the issue of migrants in Calais, Sangatte, Coquelles, Fréthun and Marck-Calaisis, during the entire day of October 1, 2016.” [Read More]

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Calais (France): Total jungle eviction may begin on 17 October

By: sisulscz - October 6th, 2016  Filed under: Communique, News

The French State has been spreading word that it will evict the whole of the Calais Jungle, meaning the homes of 10,000 people, by “the end of October”. The latest rumour is that the attack will begin on 17 October and will feature a new weapon: blinding laser cannons developed for use against Somali pirates, now to be used for the first time against Africans and other migrants on European soil.**

Other talk is that the eviction will take just “three days”, and that not only the self-built jungle but also the official Jules Ferry day centre and maybe even the state-built Container Camp will go. Comrades from the ZAD (occupied zone of resistance to the airport project in Notre Dame des Landes) also believe that their own planned eviction may be delayed so that the state can first throw all its forces at Calais.
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Calais (France): Homes on trial

By: xxx - September 28th, 2016  Filed under: News

On September 28, eight friends will have an appeal trial for charges related to the last squat attempted in Calais. Aquitted by a previous court ruling, largely due to police abuse and police not even following procedures. Now the state representatives have filed an appeal (to contest what?!).

If you think of the judicial system as a good measure of “right” and “wrong,” it is Natacha Bouchart (Calais’ mayor) and Philippe Mignonet (deputy mayor) who should be on trial. They have executed massive and numerous evictions in Calais – making thousands of people homeless, using force to traumatize people, damaging people for years. [Read More]

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Notre-Dame-des-Landes (France): Defend the ZAD – a call for international solidarity

By: xxx - September 2nd, 2016  Filed under: News

–> October 8th-9th, 2016

For over 50 years, farmers and locals have resisted the building of a new airport for the French city of Nantes (which by the way already has one). Now in these rich fields, forests and wetlands, which multinational Vinci want to cover in concrete, an experiment in reinventing everyday life in struggle is blossoming. Radicals from around the world, local farmers and villagers, citizen groups, trade unionists and naturalists, refugees and runaways, squatters and climate justice activists and many others, are organising to protect the 4000 acres of land against the airport and its world. Government officials have coined this place “a territory lost to the republic”. Its occupants have named it: la ZAD (Zone À Défendre), zone to defend. [Read More]

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Marseille, France: Vegan food & film projection to support those accused of recent demos in the city

By: dolph-l - April 24th, 2016  Filed under: News

Labour law or not, in Marseille, as elsewhere, the repression strikes those who have chose to stand up to power. Don’t leave them on their own to face the judicial horror.

Wednesday 27th April 2006, at Raccoon, Place du Lycée Thiers, Marseille
7pm Vegan food, liberation price for the anti-repression fund
9pm Film screening of Une Minute de Silence [One Minute of Silence]. 1998 Fiction, 80mins. [Read More]

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Marseille: Message from friends that were in custody following the Manba squat eviction, rue Bel Air

By: dolph-l - April 19th, 2016  Filed under: Communique

Without repeating here and right now everything that happened, a short recap, we’ll start by informing you that all 3 people have been freed yesterday [April 14th]. Two amongst us have been summoned to the criminal court on June 10th at 2pm for: destruction/criminal damage/defacement of a building intended for worship, as a group, and refusing DNA.

We narrowly avoided having to sign on at the police station, but regardless are under bail conditions. Another friend received a summons to the police station. The driving license of a mate is still in the hands of the cops… [Read More]

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Marseille: Eviction of third Manba ends with 3 comrades in custody, as well as home raided

By: dolph-l - April 16th, 2016  Filed under: News

This afternoon April 12th, the latest Manba was evicted by numerous cops, we faced two arrests and police violence. This squat opening followed the eviction of Manba 2 (last week).

Manba was opened a few days ago on Rue Bel Air, in a building empty for several years. The opening allowed the continuation of events at Manba: welcoming migrants, collective workshops, political meetings, freeshop… This place also wanted to be a meeting point between struggles at this time of social movement.

The police turned up on April 12th and stayed for several hours in front of the building, occupied at the time by five comrades (including one arrested the evening of April 12th). An “expert architect” showed up to pretend that the building was dangerous, although it wasn’t sanctioned as dangerous or unfit. The eviction after 48 hours of occupation was therefore an illegal eviction. People came in support against the eviction, around 20-30, who were then violently handled by cops, so the numbers then swelled throughout the confrontation. After pushing back supporters, cops then completely blocked the street and access to the building, which they eventually entered, bringing out the occupants and proceeding to arrest one of them. [Read More]

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Marseille, France: Newly squatted Manba evicted

By: dolph-l - April 11th, 2016  Filed under: News

The new Manba, that was opened following the eviction of the former (based at 180 rue Horace Bertin), was evicted at the yesterday at the end of the afternoon, April 6th, by hordes of cops.

The space at 49 rue Chape was opened to continue activities that previously took place – namely as a migrant welcome centre, collective workshops and political meetings – it also wanted to contribute to taking part in developing a convergence of struggles, in the context of the social movement.

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