This summer, several metropolises were the scene of very media-friendly
environmental activism : the concreting of golf holes. Back to the relevance ofsuch an action. ---- In the midst of a drought, the government announced thissummer a water restriction for all sports equipment except... golf courses. Itwas enough to provoke the activists and environmental activists. In Toulouse, itis the Kirikou collective, mainly from Extinction Rébellion (XR), which is incharge of reacting. On the night of August 10 to 11, activists broke into theVieille-Toulouse club and the Garonne des Sept Deniers golf course with trowelsand signs to concrete the holes. ---- The target is not very defensible. Anarchetypal bourgeois sport, golf is expensive, emphasizes elegance and precision,and frequently employs gender and class segregation mechanisms such ascooptation. His preferential treatment denotes and illustrates the sense ofpriorities of the ruling spheres: while in the fields, irrigation is drasticallyreduced, the right to copiously water the greens is granted. The action istherefore fully in line with a perspective of social ecology to denounce theresponsibility of the richest and of the State in the ecological crisis.In recent years in France, XR has been one of the organizations that hasattracted many first-time activists and activists. Often very young, they formthe basis of the movement. What emerges during the receptions is the desire toact concretely and outside the militant plan-plan repertoire (tracts,demonstrations, picket line, etc.). Local groups respond to this demand with ahyperactivity of civil disobedience that lacks long-term thinking. The golfattack is therefore particularly representative of the XR method for better andfor worse. A cathartic action but without lasting results. The challenge ofbuilding a solid social movement to defeat capitalist society is put incompetition with the feeling of urgency to act.hit the headlines to stir up public debateLike the vast majority of XR actions, golf hole sabotage is part of a somewhatweak strategy: attacking a symbol and making headlines to stir up public debate.It is in itself a real success: several newspapers have taken up the subject andthe action has caused a small explosion on social networks. On the other hand,the golf courses restored their courses in one day and the government did notdeign to take an interest in the claims. These flash actions will quickly fadefrom the memory of public opinion and will not have made it possible to establisha real balance of power, crucial to hope for change.However, in a period when political organizations are struggling to mobilize andbuild a social movement, XR shines with its dynamism. If this type of actionallows little or no structural change, this has very clear repercussions in termsof the organization's influence. A sympathizer or sympathizer who seesinformation passing on the networks seems to me more likely to join the movementthan following a simple distribution of leaflets at the end of the university.The XR method is part of a diverse political landscape. It has strategicweaknesses and first of all its lack of lasting and structural impacts. On theother hand, it offers a gateway to activism for many young people. While someremain at XR, others continue to explore a less spontaneously accessiblepolitical world. Faced with these new forms of activism, we must remainattentive, provide constructive criticism in terms of strategy and drawinspiration from their dynamic communication.Mégabé (UCL Toulouse sympathizer)https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Golfs-sabotes-Rayonnement-mediatique-limites-strategiques_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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