On the weekend of October 11-12, the Earth Uprisings and Mega Canal No
Thanks are calling for a new national mobilization in Compiègne, Oise:Mega Canal, Mega Scandal. We take stock of the protests against this
Mega Canal project, which seems to promise only harmful environmental
consequences for the benefit of capitalists! ---- At the heart of this
mobilization is a project to build a gigantic canal (Seine-Nord Europe
Canal) across three departments: Oise, Somme, and Nord. This is a region
where a river network already exists and which has historically
supported industrial development. One of the main canals in this
network, the Canal du Nord, already presented a structural disadvantage
at its inauguration in 1965: it could not accommodate barges over 900
tons, whereas the rest of the network between Paris and Rotterdam was
designed to handle up to 2,000 tons. However, it was intended to be
expanded and upgraded. Today, in a region marked by deindustrialization
and offshoring, it has been neglected and is suffering the full impact
of the network's maintenance decline. The mega-canal, conceived as a
solution to this problem, actually plans to dig a new, much larger canal
alongside the existing one, rather than widening it.
The Seine-Nord Europe Canal is a project estimated at EUR10 billion of
public funds, financed by the European Union on one side and by local
authorities on the other. The project owner is overseen by a supervisory
board chaired by Xavier Bertrand, head of the Hauts-de-France region.
This represents a huge market opening up for the construction and
logistics industry (which will be able to establish itself outside the
Île-de-France region, saturated with warehouses), but also for the
northern ports, from Dunkirk to Rotterdam, which will regain access to
Paris while avoiding dependence on Le Havre, a cumbersome port due to
its dockworkers' unions. These private actors, whose interests are
undeniable, exert strong pressure on the governing bodies. In reality,
the project does not address the real challenges of developing inland
waterway transport. It is designed to enable the growth of container
transport, but in practice, the network to which it is connected
(particularly in Île-de-France) lacks sufficient infrastructure. It's
like building a highway between two dirt roads. This is a genuine
mismatch with the demands of the climate crisis, driven by financial and
political interests out of step with the realities of the region.
Disastrous consequences for the region
For a length of 107 kilometers, the projected impact of the canal on the
region is unprecedented. In terms of land use, the construction of the
canal bed, banks, and associated infrastructure (ports and warehouses)
will result in the conversion of up to 5,000 hectares of arable land to
other uses. The amount of material moved will exceed that of the Channel
Tunnel. For water supply, plans include the construction of a massive
42-meter-high reservoir, equivalent to 22 times the size of the
Sainte-Soline reservoir, located in the heart of the Picardy
countryside. The sheer scale of the project and predictions of its
impact on water resources, dating back several decades, raise concerns
about water withdrawals exceeding what the environment can currently
provide, especially given the climate crisis. This is compounded by the
destruction of natural habitats home to nearly 300 protected species, a
loss that regulatory "environmental compensation" measures cannot offset.
The "Mega Canal No Thanks" collective wrote in its press release of July
6, 2025: "While the number of barge operators has decreased eightfold in
50 years and the waterway network has been neglected, at least EUR8
billion (EU, local authorities, and the French government) would be
spent on the CSNE."
Source: Mega Canal No Thanks
While the project requires excessive land development, it is
nevertheless presented as a key element of the ecological transition.
Indeed, who could oppose the development of river transport, a
low-carbon alternative to road transport? However, a comprehensive view
is needed: proponents anticipate a surge in road traffic with the
canal's construction, of which river transport can only absorb 12%. This
argument also overlooks the continued heavy reliance of barges on road
transport a dependence far greater than that of rail freight, which
presents itself as a viable alternative.
Mobilizing against logistics capitalism
But beyond environmental impacts, social issues are also raised. On the
one hand, barge operators face a lack of prospects in their profession.
While river transport has been gradually abandoned since
deindustrialization, the mega-canal is presented to them as a
redevelopment solution. For most, small owners of their barges, this
would lead to a competitive environment that would favor large-capacity
vessels at the expense of smaller ones, which are on the verge of
disappearing.
On the other hand, farmers' unions, with the exception of the
Confédération Paysanne (Peasant Confederation), largely support the
project, as the affected farmers benefit from land consolidation
covering a total of 70,000 hectares. However, already grappling with
increasingly frequent and severe droughts, they are exposing themselves
to a greater scarcity of water resources, which could jeopardize
agriculture in the region.
For the opponents, everything had to be built from scratch.
Specifically, the goal is to rebuild community ties across a territory
spanning three departments, from Compiègne to Cambrai. This sparsely
populated area is marked by deindustrialization, a near-total absence of
activist networks, and a significant presence of the far right.
Despite initial work and the acquiescence of the majority of residents
and local authorities, the activists of "Mega Canal No Thanks,"
supported primarily by local Earth Uprising committees (notably the
Seine Uprising coalition), have been holding numerous public meetings,
filing legal appeals, and conducting extensive groundwork for the past
two years to wage a determined battle. They are already facing
disproportionate repression, with the prosecution (which was ultimately
unsuccessful) of two activists this year and ongoing harassment from
intelligence services.
The operation of the mega canal will consume a great deal of energy
(pumping, maintenance, high-tech equipment, etc.) and result in a
massive water loss (estimated at 20 million cubic meters per year).
Source: Mega Canal, No Thanks
It is more than necessary to escalate the national mobilization against
this mega canal starting October 11th. The stakes are high. It reminds
us that there is no possibility of ecology under capitalism. The mega
canal is a true waste of public money serving the expansion of logistics
capitalism, which will disfigure the landscape, threaten biodiversity,
and destabilize the region. The driving forces behind this struggle
extend beyond the environmental movement and can be a way to begin
breaking down the barriers between this struggle and social movements.
Sol (UCL Caen)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Canal-Seine-Nord-Europe-Mega-canal-mega-scandale
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