Notre-Dame-des-Landes (Loire-Atlantique), report
« They had their invocation: the rule of law, against the lawless zone. Well, this rule of law was used against them »celebrate Nath and Isa in their megaphone, in their colorful and sequined outfits. In turn, they invoke their own rite, against the figures of Manuel Valls, Bruno Retailleau and Gérald Darmanin. Three notorious enemies of the zad of Notre-Dame-des-Landes, « ghosts » united in the current government.
January 17 was the « bocage festival without planes » on the old zad of Notre-Dame-des-Landes. On site, this day is a « public holiday » since 2018. Former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe then announced the abandonment of the Grand Ouest airport project, after around ten years of occupation of the land by opponents of the project.
Participants in the “ ritual of the seven years of victory » are invited to take a bay leaf as well as a piece of paper on which is printed the long lease contract signed by the department. They are then thrown into the fire. A man throws the cardboard sign representing Manuel Valls into the fire.
© Evaine Merle / Reporterre
And to celebrate the seven years since the airport was abandoned, the former zad was given a nice gift on January 16: the signing of the first long-term leases (long-term real estate contracts), allowing residents to to stay and live for at least twenty years in several buildings occupied by the movement, concluding several years of negotiations with the department of Loire-Atlantique.
Rural leases had previously been signed for the land in 2019, but on the housing side, « we remained officially squatters »describes Nicolas, a resident of the ex-zad since 2012. Today, around 200 people live there, in around forty collective places.
The « ritual of the seven years of victory » begins with the arrival of three cardboard caricatures representing members of the government Bruno Retailleau (Interior), Gérald Darmanin (Justice) and Manuel Valls (Overseas), illustrated with open mouths.
© Evaine Merle / Reporterre
« This will allow us to project ourselves »
As the glowing sun sets over the countryside, Nath and Isa invite three groups to launch « lease balls »composed of photocopies of said signed documents wrapped around a laurel leaf, symbol of victory and protection. The bullets then had to pass through the mouths of giant masks representing the three ridiculed politicians. « We decided to make them eat it, of the rule of law »both members laugh.
Benj, 37, a resident of the old zad for ten years, is reassured by the signing of these first documents. « It allows us to appear less like villains living outside the framework.he laughs, while managing the stewardship of the party. This will allow us to project ourselves, to open up more to associative structures, schools or other initiatives. »
One of the cakes presented at the anti-fascist and cannibalistic cake competition ».
© Evaine Merle / Reporterre
But he confesses: « It hasn't been easy. » First, there were tensions with those who did not want to negotiate with the institutions. Two more positions « irreconcilable » today, he regrets: « We never wanted to enter into negotiations, but we preferred the idea of continuing to develop our model of existence and helping to define the framework which would distort it as little as possible. »
Everything is not yet rosy there. Other buildings must be subject to regularization. And the mayors of Notre-Dame-des-Landes and Vigneux-de-Bretagne, the two municipalities in which the ex-ZAD is located, protested against the negotiations with the department from which they are excluded and the presence of housing light ones that they don't want to recognize. On January 17, a forum bringing together more than 500 signatures from « members of associations, unions and agricultural organizations, Amap, parents, residents·are from neighboring municipalities » was made public, asking the two mayors to consider « constructive solutions for those who support and cultivate our territory ».
The « ritual of the seven years of victory “. A red cord represents the “ putrefying entrails » caricatured politicians, who advance the extreme right and contaminate elected officials. It is fired collectively. Coarse salt is then added to the fire.
© Evaine Merle / Reporterre
250 environmental victories
Before tackling these new phases of negotiation, it was time to celebrate. Among the nearly 400 people gathered in the bitter cold of winter, activists from other struggles were present. Like Julien Le Guet, spokesperson for Bassines non merci, committed against « megabasins » in the Poitevin marsh. Or members of La Tête dans le sable, fighting against sand quarry extensions in Saint-Colomban (Loire-Atlantique). Two struggles supported by the Earth Uprising movement, initiated in Notre-Dame-des-Landes.
And everyone arrived with good news from last year: the confirmed illegality of several basins, the abandonment of a quarry expansion project… « History and governments often tend to erase struggles. Every year, we must remember that it is through our actions that we manage to preserve lands or wetlands »proclaims Nicolas on the megaphone, under an overheated barnum to celebrate the victory of Notre-Dame-des-Landes as much as the 249 other environmentalist victories recently recorded by the Terres de struggles association.
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