France :Notre-Dame-des-Landes: More aggressive than ever! (fr, pt)

Nearly 50,000 protesters, 520 tractors, 65 cars from all over France ... And yet, the 
media spoke a few broken windows. The demonstration against the airport project 
Notre-Dame-des-Landes February 22 in Nantes is a milestone in the fight. ---- The event on 
February 22 in Nantes, against the airport project at Notre-Dame-des-Landes, was the
result of a long process of organization and coordination. Its scope, the repression has 
been through its media coverage and strategic issues it raises, it is now interesting to a 
point on the mobilization. ---- It had the distinction of having been worn by all 
components of the struggle of it ACIPA[1] zadistes up, through collective Pal[2], and of 
course the 200 local committees distributed in France. This preparation in the unit 
allowed the deployment of a high energy to make this event an extraordinary event 
(batukadas, troops clowns, bands, giant salamander and newt ...). Organize an event of 
such magnitude ? involves a disciplined organization, the prefecture has tried to sabotage 
the eve prohibiting the planned route. For prohibit hear: block all the streets of the 
very center of Nantes by filter dams riot police.

This event was intended to send a clear message to one month municipal elections and show 
that mass mobilization was still possible. Success of this event was so decisive when 
proa?roport and never ceased to ads claiming a rapid onset of work.

Yes, this event was a success. At noon in front of the prefecture, the atmosphere was 
already festive, with picnic and music under the sun, towing of all kinds, especially the 
incessant flow ? thousands of people arriving from all corners of the city. The square and 
adjacent streets were so full of people: 40,000 ? 50,000 demonstrators of all ages have 
come. 520 tractors, they are entered into the city by five different doors in the morning. 
At this stage, the bet was already won, not a protest against the airport had not met many 
people. For comparison, the last major event of its kind in Nantes, March 24, 2012, 
brought together 10,000 people and 200 tractors.

But the prefecture has also played the card show of force: 2,000 policemen, gendarmes and 
CRS, a helicopter, the IFNU and five water cannons. She definitely wanted this challenge 
by deploying disproportionate along a route already restricted device a demonstration was 
declared "popular, festive and determined." With the consent of a large majority of the 
protesters, the city of Nantes was cheerfully painted, tags have flourished on the banks 
along the procession route. The local Vinci Immobilier was, meanwhile, cleanly unmounted, 
a backhoe left near the demo (coincidence?) Was burned and a police closed curtain has 
been redecorated.

Suppress to break

One hour after the start of the event, the forces of disorder send the first tear on the 
crowd in front of the riot wall blocking the main artery from the center of Nantes. In a 
few hours they used at least 1,700 tear gas and fired dozens of times flashball 
indiscriminately into the crowd. On February 22, CHU Nantes, overwhelmed, identified 40 
emergency admissions for injuries caused by the police. The number of injured es far
beyond the hundred and three people were ?borgn?es. In a case like this, it is obviously 
not "mistakes." Moreover there had arrested 14-es, the police did not therefore instructed 
to call that day, but to injure and maim to terrorize protesters and demonstrators. Yet 
the crowd was not d?bin?e despite stun grenades and water cannons that accompanied the 
tear gas. Thousands of people have faced police for several hours, even encouraging the 
most radical activists who went to phish using a grapple makeshift grills police to put-down.

Challenging the "monopoly of legitimate violence" available to the State to silence those 
who resist is essential, clashes with security forces on February 22 was also a clear 
message that we don ' were not afraid to defend ourselves and we are ready for that.

Nevertheless, the symbolic and dramatic function of the "breaks" of certain symbols (SNCF, 
Fram ...) must be questioned when we see how it was, once again, easily recovered by
government and media, thus avoiding speak on the success of the event. prospect

What is certain is that the strength of a struggle as that of Notre-Dame-des-Landes lies 
in its diversity of tactics between legal remedies that slow the state and forced him to 
drop his democratic mask when trample, mass demonstrations, radical actions to interfere ? 
Vinci wherever he is and resistance in the Zad itself.

Today, the struggle continues, more massive than ever after the huge success of 22 and the 
unit is maintained. We must tirelessly continue to fight the battle of ideas while 
actually organizing resistance in the field. If the socialist government decided once 
again to send his minions expel Zad, the 200 local committees will return all in action 
where they are and solidarity will be activated within a few hours as a wildfire.

The government some leeway and folder Notre-Dame-des-Landes is for him more and more
cumbersome, especially when the last survey on this subject indicates that only 22% of the 
population is "for" construction of the new airport. An upcoming cabinet reshuffle would 
blow Ayrault, the symbolic carrier of this project would be one possible way out for the 
government.

Notre-Dame-des-Landes is more than ever a hope for all those who oppose worldwide 
devastating to all these projects, which have the function that fill the pockets of 
shareholders and not to satisfy the needs. Here as elsewhere, nothing is loose!

Ana?s and Benjamin (AL Nantes)


[ 1] Civic Association Intermunicipal Populations affected by the Airport project

[ 2] Collective Agricultural Organisations outraged by the airport project