A thousand people marched on May 8, 2026, against war and militarism in the port city. This mobilization, of national significance, comes at a time when the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard is tasked with building a "new generation aircraft carrier." ---- PANG on the budget ---- In 2020, Florence Parly, then Minister of the Armed Forces, announced that the future flagship of the French Navy would be built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, under the aegis of Naval Group - of which the French state is the majority shareholder - which would provide its nuclear propulsion from the Indret Arsenal, upstream on the Loire River, near Nantes. Displacing 78,000 tons, measuring 310 meters in length, with a crew of 2,000 and a capacity for 30 combat aircraft, the first steel cutting is scheduled for 2031, the installation of the nuclear engines for 2036, and commissioning in 2038. This new-generation aircraft carrier (PANG) is expected to be larger and faster than the current Charles de Gaulle and to bear the name "France-Libre" (Free France), as desired by President Macron. Its construction is expected to involve 800 companies in the fields of naval architecture, combat systems, digital technology and cyber defense, information and communication systems, nuclear propulsion, carrier-based aviation, sensors and weaponry.
Its strategic justification would be to equip French imperialism with a tool indispensable for external operations (OPEX) across the globe. But it's difficult to understand whether the project's priority is military or economic, as the operation resembles dumping with both domestic aims: filling the order books of arms dealers; and external aims: showcasing national expertise to the death industry. And thus, consolidating France's position as the world's second-largest arms exporter, which has translated into annual orders exceeding EUR20 billion for the past few years. Hooray!
While the 2024-2030 military spending law already allocated EUR413 billion to the armed forces, the EUR5 billion budgeted at the time for the PANG (Naval Aviation Support Platform) barely covers half of the sums needed for its construction, currently estimated at EUR10 billion. Thus, as early as 2023, the Minister of Defense, a certain Sébastien Lecornu, warned of the insufficient funds available to his ministry to build his new aircraft carrier. It is therefore not surprising that, having become Prime Minister, he is now having the National Assembly approve a EUR36 billion update to this law, which includes many other aspects besides arms procurement (a new national service, the creation of a national alert state that deviates from the ordinary legal framework, etc.) and should, unsurprisingly, be upheld by the Senate in June.
Lifeguards in action on Saint-Nazaire beach on May 8th
PANG right in the face
It is in a context of general rearmament and militarization of minds that an anti-militarist collective "Down with War" was formed in Saint-Nazaire in the wake of the collective against the universal national service (SNU) which became obsolete after the cessation of this project.
In a spirit of unity, the "Down with War" movement managed to transcend the usual far-left structures to bring together the local unions CGT, FO, Solidaires, and FSU, even though the "realistic" argument of job creation for local industry often clashes with pacifist principles and internationalist solidarity. The idea of a "pacifist" demonstration on May 8th was therefore adopted. This was achieved without the participation of the CFDT, which, for its part, explained that being for peace, it supported deterrence and therefore the construction of the aircraft carrier, which, moreover, would bring in significant local revenue.
The initiative quickly gained a regional audience, with the support of the "War on War Grand Ouest" coalition (GALAG-GO), which called for the demonstration in Saint-Nazaire on the 8th, as well as a rally in Indre on May 9th, where Naval Group will build the nuclear propulsion systems for the PANG (Patrol Boat), and also those for four new so-called 3rd generation nuclear submarines... This will require the construction of new industrial infrastructure, including buildings covering nearly 8,000 m2 and a new quay on the Loire River measuring 45 m long by 20 m wide...
GALAG's arrival on the scene wasn't to everyone's liking and sparked some controversy, rehashing old resentments accumulated at the Notre-Dame-des-Landes ZAD (Zone to Defend). Nevertheless, on the appointed day, around a thousand people gathered at Place de l'Amérique Latine, far exceeding the usual activist circles in Saint-Nazaire, including many comrades from Nantes, Rennes, Caen, and even Paris. While these welcome reinforcements were certainly welcome, it's clear that the Saint-Nazaire mobilization was far from reaching its full potential locally, and much work remains to be done to build a movement commensurate with the challenges. It's also worth noting that the presence of libertarians was significant, even though they were scattered among the various CNT (National Confederation of Labor), UCL (Union of Libertarians), and OCL (Organization of Libertarians), and unaffiliated with any party, but without any shared projects.
The demonstration took place, therefore, in front of a large police presence, under the pretext of ensuring the peace and quiet of the official May 8th celebrations being held nearby. At 11 a.m., after an oppressive bag and ID check of anyone under 40 years old near the gathering, the police began hostilities by attacking people listening to the speeches in order to seize a dragon in the process of being assembled, bearing the likeness of Macron.
The model of the PANG is being assembled at Place de l'Amérique Latine.
Minor scuffles ensued, and two people were nonetheless taken into custody. The demonstration, which had been partially banned, then proceeded with the aim of reaching the central beach where they planned to set up a food stall and burn a model of the aircraft carrier. These objectives were achieved by managing to overwhelm the police presence on the seafront.
This demonstration addressed issues of armaments, militarism, peace, nuclear weapons, international solidarity, Palestine, and colonialism-all themes that must be brought back to the forefront and collectively addressed in these troubled times. It also raised the question of alliances to build momentum that would finally allow us to regain the offensive. Let us hope that this mobilization will mark a starting point toward greater political clarity, and that past sensitivities and controversies can be overcome to collectively respond to the terrible threats we face here and, even more so, beyond the borders of Europe.
Let us also hope that the prospects to follow will avoid getting bogged down soon in the quagmire of empty electoral promises.
Saint-Nazaire,
May 19, 2026.
http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4725
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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