The ZAD is an aeroport protest site in the west of France about 15 miles north of Nantes. The aeroport project was first proposed over forty years ago and has faced constant local resistance ever since. The project is in the hands of the multinational company Vinci, who also provide us with such « services » as prisons, motorways and nuclear power stations. It is the particular pet project of Jean Marc Ayrault, the former mayor of Nantes and current Prime Minister of France. In 2009 the area hosted a climate camp, since when the empty houses, fields and forests have been gradually filling up with people disgusted enough by the idea of this project to stay and resist. The reasons for staying are as diverse as the people but the occupiers are united by an idea that fighting capitalism is not just theoretical but something to live in practice every day. [Read More]
Notre-Dame-des-Landes (France): Call out for actions during the moment of eviction of the ZAD
In this autumn of 2012, the opposition to the Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport project is entering a delicate phase. The response which it may elicit from outside the area directly affected will be the deciding factor for the future of this battle.
To create a Deferred Development Zone, ZAD, (land set aside for major development), to compulsory purchase and demolish homes and then to certify the project as a ‘d’utilité publique’, DUP, (declaration of public interest) before even starting the initial survey work, constitutes a grand scam under the guise of Democratic Policy All this has already been done. [Read More]
France: Communique from the ZAD
Press release sent October 17th at 23:30
We live here, we’ll stay here!
After two days of resistance and solidarity, only seven houses and one plot were evicted at the ZAD, a threatened area meant to make place to an airport in Notre-Dame-des-Landes. Everywhere police forces met determinated opponents, inhabitants refusing to leave their houses, their roofs. Demonstrations. direct actions took place around several locations, roads we barricaded, activists keeping joining the ZAD area, etc…
Since hours, opponents are defending several plots, the Far West, the Sabot, a cultivable land back in use since May 2011. Right now, the Sabot in drowned under a cloud of tear gas, with a drumming samba band. Outside the ZAD, many solidarity actions took place, such a demonstration in front of the main state building in Nantes tonight.
Contrary to what was announced by the highest state representative of the region tuesday morning, the area is far from being empty. Around 20 houses remain occupied, this is even not including house owners, renters and farmers still living in the area. The pressure and acts from the police, such as the destruction by fire from one wood hut, without checking if it was still occupied, won’t silent dissent. [Read More]
France: ZAD eviction, news from the front line
Events happening in the ZAD, in Notre Dames des Landes, near Nantes, can be followed minute to minute on the ZAD website. Barricades are still holding on after 2 days of a huge military style operation in an attempt to evict the ZAD inhabitants. The french state is mobilizing an incredible amount of police and military forces. The ZAD is calling for decentralized actions everywhere, now!
English and french eviction time line:
– time line Tuesday October 16th
– time line Wednesday October 17th
– time line Thursday October 18th
Found on the ZAD website: Contrary to what was announced by the prefect tuesday morning, the operation has not yet ended. And we don’t consider that everything “went fine”. [Read More]
France: Highest risks of eviction in the ZAD
Several sources let us believe that evictions are imminent. We got wind of a first wave of evictions on Tuesday the 16th of October at dawn. We received precise informations about where troops will be staying, the planned route to access the area, the number of personnel involved (500 gendarmes). This first wave should concern houses that are already evictable and also the cabins. This should be followed by a second wave about ten days later, regarding this time tree-houses and three houses, La Sècherie, les Rosiers, la Saulce where the baillif chose this august to bring forward the date from when they’re evictable, moving it from november 15th to october 27th.
For the last few weeks teams of police have been around the ZAD gathering information in preparation, like measuring the height of the tree-houses. Police teams are currently patrolling, including some with parisian number plates. Traffic controls have been increased on and around the ZAD. Last Tuesday (October 09th ) the last squat in Grandchamps was evicted with the help of impressive police deployment. [Read More]
Friends, allies, freaks, comrades, Sweep over Toulouse (France)
We are a hundred of people (with 25 children) and more than a hundred of people committed in the workshops and activities of the Toulouse Self-Organized Social Center. We are threatened by a close eviction.
In a few days, the State will send us its cops to throw us back to the streets, destroy the place and leave its 5400 square meters empty, as it has been for 6 years, without any project, as dead as possible.
For now, we dont have any solution to live in, and we ‘ve decided to stay. We dont want to give up on our house and it’s the only thing we have left to lose. [Read More]
France: Call for a three day actions against evictions, October 13th till 15th
This year, numerous collectives all around France have been struggling against all kind of misery: children living in the street, precarious housing conditions, people going to be evicted, precarious working conditions, undocumented people… and to deal in an autonomous way towards their needs regarding housing, food, freedom of movement. After getting feed back from all around, some people have decided to gather and coordinate themselves.
From August 31st till September 2nd, at the CREA Social Center in Toulouse, to be evicted and desvastated by the State a few days later, some individuals gathered in order to discuss and exchange tools, knowledge and empowered themselves.
As all forms of misery are politically organized by the State, people have to organized themselves. The State is not part of the solution, the State is the problem itself. From that meeting came out this call: [Read More]
Calais: After the jungles
Three years ago the Pashto jungle was evicted and razed to the ground, under the eyes and camera lenses of the world media. 276 Afghans, almost half of them underage boys, were arrested. Some No Borders activists and charity volunteers, who had tried to defend them, were brutally assaulted by police. The Afghans were all released the day after by order of the judges, as the police had not followed procedures.
Calais: Another African squat threatened with eviction
The latest ‘Africa House’ is now at constant risk of eviction. About 40 people from Northern Africa, mainly Sudan, stay here. If evicted they will be made homeless and forced to live on the streets again.
A formal notice of eviction was fixed to the door of the squat on 13th August 2012 without any translation, stating the building will be evicted for reasons of hygiene and structural dangers. The Court of Appeal has already granted the owners, the Commune of Calais, ‘uncontested’ eviction procedure claiming none of the occupants could be identified therefore cannot contest the decision. [Read More]
France: Rumors of upcoming eviction in the ZAD
UPDATE (Sept 9. 2012): Calm end of the week. It was a false alert.
Journalists sources claim that CRS (anti-riot police) are gahering around Nantes. They claim that might be linked to evictions for the airoprt project.
Since monday the 3rd of septembre, people taking part of the struggle recieved journalists calls stating that 3 CRS compagnies arrived in Nantes. This information would come from the Préfecture (local state representative). They concluded that it might be related to evictions on the ZAD. Another journalist said that before the end of the week, all people that are not included in the aggrement that have been got after the hunger strike would be kicked out of the area. However, this journalist didn’t want to cite her sources, so it might be only a rumor. [Read More]
Calais: Olympics cleansing
People needed on the ground over the summer, many evictions are happening constantly… ‘Olympic cleansing’ is driving people out of Calais making it very difficult for ‘migrants’ to exist here.
We have an exciting new space: a large warehouse for workshops, kitchens, library, bikes and much more…
[Read More]
Calais: Olympic Evictions of Migrant Squats
The lead up to the Olympics has seen a rapid increase of police brutality against migrant communities in Calais and their supporters. Calais is an ‘Olympic village’ during the Games and in preparation the authorities have begun cleaning up the streets to make Calais ‘migrant free’.
[Read More]
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