Bure (France): Protests and attacks against the CIGEO nuclear disposal project

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On Saturday, February 19, in Bure, in the north-east of France, a demo took place in the forest to support the occupation there and then on to the research lab of the planned nuclear waste disposal facility CIGEO. In the process, the ANDRA (French nuclear waste disposal agency) was pushed back more or less symbolically to a section of its illegally constructed wall in the forest. A small action report.

More than 700 people took part in Bure’s February 2017 events, which in the late afternoon resulted in violent protests and massive attacks against the site of the nuclear waste disposal agency ANDRA. [Read More]

Calais Research Network: 40+ companies profiting from the Jungle eviction and border violence

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The eviction of the Calais jungle is about to begin, but who does this act of brutality serve? On the one hand, cynical politicians looking to the French presidential election next year, desperately trying to cling onto power with a show of toughness. But also, it will boost the profits of a host of private companies who supply the rubber bullets and barbed wire, bulldozers and deportation buses. [Read More]

Calais (France): Updates of the October 1st Demo

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A comrade was arrested and charged for attempting to conceal his identity and participating in an unauthorized demonstration; the trial will be on 7 November, in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

The following text has been translated from French, from an article published on October 3rd, 2016 on Squat!net. The next solidarity gathering will take place in Calais, on friday October 14th, at 4pm, Places d’Armes.

This Saturday, October 1st, a solidarity demonstration was scheduled in Calais departing from the “Jungle”, the name given to the largest slum of France, where thousands of migrants are living. The event had to cross through Calais to reach its ending point downtown.

Two days before, the protest had been “prohibited” by the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais, Fabienne Buccio, who announced “a ban on any protest demonstrations in connection with the issue of migrants in Calais, Sangatte, Coquelles, Fréthun and Marck-Calaisis, during the entire day of October 1, 2016.” [Read More]

Calais (France): Total jungle eviction may begin on 17 October

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The French State has been spreading word that it will evict the whole of the Calais Jungle, meaning the homes of 10,000 people, by “the end of October”. The latest rumour is that the attack will begin on 17 October and will feature a new weapon: blinding laser cannons developed for use against Somali pirates, now to be used for the first time against Africans and other migrants on European soil.**

Other talk is that the eviction will take just “three days”, and that not only the self-built jungle but also the official Jules Ferry day centre and maybe even the state-built Container Camp will go. Comrades from the ZAD (occupied zone of resistance to the airport project in Notre Dame des Landes) also believe that their own planned eviction may be delayed so that the state can first throw all its forces at Calais.
[Read More]

Calais (France): Homes on trial

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On September 28, eight friends will have an appeal trial for charges related to the last squat attempted in Calais. Aquitted by a previous court ruling, largely due to police abuse and police not even following procedures. Now the state representatives have filed an appeal (to contest what?!).

If you think of the judicial system as a good measure of “right” and “wrong,” it is Natacha Bouchart (Calais’ mayor) and Philippe Mignonet (deputy mayor) who should be on trial. They have executed massive and numerous evictions in Calais – making thousands of people homeless, using force to traumatize people, damaging people for years. [Read More]

Notre-Dame-des-Landes (France): Defend the ZAD – a call for international solidarity

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–> October 8th-9th, 2016

For over 50 years, farmers and locals have resisted the building of a new airport for the French city of Nantes (which by the way already has one). Now in these rich fields, forests and wetlands, which multinational Vinci want to cover in concrete, an experiment in reinventing everyday life in struggle is blossoming. Radicals from around the world, local farmers and villagers, citizen groups, trade unionists and naturalists, refugees and runaways, squatters and climate justice activists and many others, are organising to protect the 4000 acres of land against the airport and its world. Government officials have coined this place “a territory lost to the republic”. Its occupants have named it: la ZAD (Zone À Défendre), zone to defend. [Read More]

Marseille, France: Vegan food & film projection to support those accused of recent demos in the city

Labour law or not, in Marseille, as elsewhere, the repression strikes those who have chose to stand up to power. Don’t leave them on their own to face the judicial horror.

Wednesday 27th April 2006, at Raccoon, Place du Lycée Thiers, Marseille
7pm Vegan food, liberation price for the anti-repression fund
9pm Film screening of Une Minute de Silence [One Minute of Silence]. 1998 Fiction, 80mins. [Read More]

Marseille: Message from friends that were in custody following the Manba squat eviction, rue Bel Air

Without repeating here and right now everything that happened, a short recap, we’ll start by informing you that all 3 people have been freed yesterday [April 14th]. Two amongst us have been summoned to the criminal court on June 10th at 2pm for: destruction/criminal damage/defacement of a building intended for worship, as a group, and refusing DNA.

We narrowly avoided having to sign on at the police station, but regardless are under bail conditions. Another friend received a summons to the police station. The driving license of a mate is still in the hands of the cops… [Read More]

Marseille: Eviction of third Manba ends with 3 comrades in custody, as well as home raided

This afternoon April 12th, the latest Manba was evicted by numerous cops, we faced two arrests and police violence. This squat opening followed the eviction of Manba 2 (last week).

Manba was opened a few days ago on Rue Bel Air, in a building empty for several years. The opening allowed the continuation of events at Manba: welcoming migrants, collective workshops, political meetings, freeshop… This place also wanted to be a meeting point between struggles at this time of social movement.

The police turned up on April 12th and stayed for several hours in front of the building, occupied at the time by five comrades (including one arrested the evening of April 12th). An “expert architect” showed up to pretend that the building was dangerous, although it wasn’t sanctioned as dangerous or unfit. The eviction after 48 hours of occupation was therefore an illegal eviction. People came in support against the eviction, around 20-30, who were then violently handled by cops, so the numbers then swelled throughout the confrontation. After pushing back supporters, cops then completely blocked the street and access to the building, which they eventually entered, bringing out the occupants and proceeding to arrest one of them. [Read More]

Marseille, France: Newly squatted Manba evicted

The new Manba, that was opened following the eviction of the former (based at 180 rue Horace Bertin), was evicted at the yesterday at the end of the afternoon, April 6th, by hordes of cops.

The space at 49 rue Chape was opened to continue activities that previously took place – namely as a migrant welcome centre, collective workshops and political meetings – it also wanted to contribute to taking part in developing a convergence of struggles, in the context of the social movement.

[Read More]

Calais, France: A political victory for the Calais 8

On Friday,  when the judge at Boulogne-sur-mer announced, three times that the trial of 8 friends was irregular the court room erupted into applause and cheering. Waiting outside were a brace of Police de l’Air et des Frontières (PAF) waiting to take 5 of them (the foreigners) to detention after they had been served with Obligation de Quitter la Territoire Français (OQTF). But these had already escaped and were not present to appreciate the announcement of their victory.

The judges had decided that there were too many irregularities and that the authorities had not followed procedure when arresting and detaining the 8 people on the roof of an abandoned building in the centre of Calais on Sunday the 27th April.

[Read More]

Calais: Update on trial and call for solidarity

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An update on the court case of the 8 friends arrested for squatting an empty homeless shelter in Calais.

Today, the trial scheduled to take place  at the court in Boulogne-sur-Mer was postponed until Friday, April 1. All 8 had accepted to be tried today,  under the comparution immediate (fast track procedure).

Yesterday, after spending 48 hours in police custody, 3 friends were released until the trial and 5 kept in preventive detention to ensure that they would come to court. However, 3 of those in prison were not able to be transported to appear in person before the court. This was due to an apparent lack of organisation of transport from the prison to the court. [Read More]