Largest Protest Zone in Europe Being Evicted

La ZAD (La Zone A Défendre)

Europes largest protest zone is going through multiple evictions (because there are numerous sites) - all through much media silence! Over the past four days La ZAD, an anti-airport protest zone, composing of over 20 occupied sites has been putting up the barricades, opposing and protesting against the harassment and the evictions by a troop of police over a 1000 strong. La ZAD is in the area of Notre Dame de Lande, just north of the city of Nantes, in the north-west of France.

Video of one of the earlier Police mobilisations:  http://vimeo.com/51634804

Sit down protest in Bel Air:  http://zebuzzeo.blogspot.fr/2012/10/a-notre-dames-des-landes-l-etat-ps.html

Good series of pictures of barricades and resistance:  https://picasaweb.google.com/113382718807039752437/Expulsions#slideshow/5799932948346626882

Good info in English:  http://en.squat.net/tag/zad/

Tear gas has been used against the barricades and the military have been mobilised to support the evictions.

Below are summaries and translations of their FLASH INFO / UPDATES (please excuse the bad english).

If any of you can make it out there that would be great, from what I understand there'll be a second wave of police mobilisations for eviction around the 26th-27th october this month. Otherwise you could help by countering the wide media silence on the evictions on what is the largest protest site in europe - perhaps by writing to papers about it or just sending the information to people you know.

THEIR MESSAGE: And most importantly: there is plenty of places occupied (land and three houses with eviction deadline until October 27), and the the occupant-es are always on site, with lots of other people coming to defend the area, and full of messages and actions of solidarity everywhere! It is not their police pressure which make our protests impotent acts of resistance will continue until the project will not be removed.

October 16th

[Places evicted : la Bellich’, Bel Air, la Gaité, les Planchettes, le Tertre, le Pré Failli, la Pré Faillite et St Jean du Tertre.]

11h18 : // in his speech, the prefect declared that the operation is finished for today, that all went fine, without arrestations and that the military occupation will continue for several days to secure the destruction of the houses

13h15 : charge et tirs de lacrymo vers le Sabot ; arrivée de nombreux fourgons de CRS // Tear gas beeing shot around the Sabot, arrival of numerous riot cop cars

15:10 : les gens dans le Sabot se font gazer, dépanneuse et tractopelle en vue, 3 camions de CRS et 10 de gendarmes se dirigent vers le Sabot // people at the Sabot getting teargased, breakdown lorry and diggers been seen, 3 cop vans of riot cops and 10 military vans heading towards Sabot

15h20 : // barricade burning at the Sabot. It’s seems to getting hot for them

15h40 : // following a exterieur information, the Military are being mobilized for more 48h to prevent new occupations

 18h15 : // a digger is arriving at the way to the Sabot to enter in the garden by the side, 40 people are still at the Sabot

October 17th

[Destroyed houses: les Planchettes, le Tertre.]

8h20 : // a convoy with a rubbish truck, digger and a road semi-trailer are arriving at the Planchettes, under a big escort, big spots lighting on the Planchettes

10:05 : // there is the proposition to meet up in the Sabot to discuss, bring water and food, 10 cop vans seen driving to the north direction Fosse noires/ Planchettes, medias saying that the destruction of the houses started :( , there is demo in Paris in front of the ministery of environment

11h12 : // there are 30 cop vans in the region around the Tertre where they actually destroy the house :(, there are positioned at the end of the Chemin de sueze and at Chênes de Perrières, the destruction of the Planchettes got confirmed by the medias :(, at the Sabot it seems quiet but the helicopter is turning over the Phare Ouest

12h20 : la destruction de Planchettes dans les medias :( sadness and rage...

14h48 : // there are cops arriving in front of the Phare Ouest vers the Chêvrerie
14h58 : // the cops stopped to go forward, people are behind the barricades
15h17 : // people juste got charged by cops vers the Planchettes

15h45 : // some 20 cop vans are in front of the Sabot, the cops came out running

15h50 : // callout for support at Phare Ouest, the cops taking off the tree blocking the road

16h15 : // the convoy which cut the tree is leaving, another one seems to arriving quickly from direction Ardillières

18h55 : // the cops broke down the barricade of the Sabot, they entered but they don’t charge yet

19h11 : pigs got charged by the people south of Sabot, defending their home, brave friends of us, keep on rocking against this terroristes...

20h04 : // the militarys start back shooting teargas

20h22 : // It seems the fuckers are winning some terrain on the field on the south, there are also hiding behind the chickens, fucking lame

MESSAGE TO THE PORCS : if you hurt the chickens, we’ll call the animal protection !!!

21h35 : // the Manitou ’ some destruction machine ) is heading in the direction of Phare Ouest, the Sabot still keeps resisiting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we love you.......

22h07 : // 10 riot cop vans part vers les Ardillières, around the Sabot, they gas a lot, lot, lot..BUT THE SABOT IS STILL RESISTING !!! fuck you cops, fuck you ayrault, you dont get your airport !!

22h06 : // the working machine left with the convoi. We got confirmed that the cries we heard are not at all cries of fear but of rage and determination!

23h00 : // cops came back to the entry of the Sabot, they get stoned and leave...

October 18th

[Places evicted: la Pointe, la cabane collective de la forêt de Rohanne.]

9:05 : // the cops go into the Saulce, riot cops come closer to the barricade of the Sabot

9h12 : // cops continue to detstroy the barricade of the Saulce. 3 cop vans going towards the chemin de suez from the Saulce barricade

[The rest done with internet translate]

9h37 : it is reported to the police that there are people in the tree-tops of la Saulce. Cloud of tear gas.

10h25 : beginning of the expulsion of the great forest (Foret Rohanne) they are destroying the house collective. people in the trees/ cabins.

10h32 : they empty the house of the collective forest. They have a team of climbing.

11h22 : WE CALL ON ALL AND ALL TO MANIFEST THEIR SOLIDARITY WITH WHAT HAPPENS HERE AND SPREAD THE NEWS MOST WIDELY AVAILABLE Locally: 19h call to rally outside the prefecture of Nantes tonight / at 18.30 in front of the town hall of Rennes Friday evening.

12h00 : Rohanne in the forest: the excavator working and almost finished destroying the communal house, the person in the tree where the climbers are mounted refuses to go down, it is covered by a rubber bullets.

12h14 : From the online press, the prefecture announced the evacuation of the place called Point and Heath Rohanne, and mentions three arrests. To be confirmed.

13h10 : there are still many people in the trees in the forest. The cops are not climbing. There would be three arrested allegedly released. We hear again the helicopter.

16h01 : the GIGN has left the forest, they could not evict people still in the trees.

17h 34 : Lande de Rohanne: since this morning, destroying the collective hut surrounded by a handful of Gendarmes Mobiles. Some people in trees, others ground support. 4 people were descended from the trees GIPN. The remains of the hut were taken by a marabout. 17h cops to head further north to a second cabin floor, releasing those who were on their way, but regardless of at least 3 comrades still in the trees.

20h08 : We have information that a person is detained in police custody in La Chapelle sur Erdre from 4:20 p.m. for refusing to give his name. She was arrested on the road near Ardillères.

23h23 : The person arrested was released this morning, she has a meeting for January 22 at St Nazaire 14h (It is not the person arrested at 16.20, who is still in GAV.)

We learn that 500 people gathered at Nantes tonight in solidarity with the Zad. People's will!

19th October

[Evicted: l’Isolette, le Coin]

8h53 : Nothing to report except a few patrols running on the Zad, Filter and roadblocks at certain points, this morning. The cops have massively left the area last night. We remain vigilant but it could be that it is the end of the first "wave" of operation here. It may resume in the coming days, and last ...

10h30 : the operation is perhaps not finished for this phase ... they expelled L'Isolette, and currently runs around the Fosses Noires.

10h35 : evacuation of the pile of rubble that became Le Tertre.

10h40 : Eviction of Coin en Cours underway, thirty people are around.

14h12 : We hope that our friends in the forest are doing well. The area is expelled and destroyed. Thank you Le Coin, we will miss you!

Received by mail: For tonight rally outside the prefecture of Nantes in 19h! It is proposed that we find in red and black! It brings songs, then bring your vocal cords! Song for all print here:  http://www.deljehier.levillage.org/ ... Otherwise, it also offers a meeting point for you to carpool morbihannais ... Visit the Rond-Point du Petit Molac Questembert at 17:30. Will print some of the world! El pueblo unido, Lalalalalala .......

15h43 : difficult time to live without news of our friends in places management, we are still trying to get out, but our communication is difficult KLAXON!

21st October

- 15h25: 3 vans, 1 car and truck with digger who share home management ZAD Rose

- 15h35: 1 van is positioned at the crossroads to Saulce black pits, checks vehicles will

- 3:58 p.m.: several black vans crossroads Septic / path sueze, it seems that the Police are using the same strategy they did on Thursday: retain people in the premises to make other interventions elsewhere, maybe this time around to prevent a procedure at the new Maison de Fosse black, after 48 hours .....

- 11:37 p.m.: we stop the time-line for today. It was learned that during the day they destroyed 2 of 3 houses at la Pré Faillit :/ Who has said what they served Digger and 2 Manitous seen during the day. Homes by cons are not exactly on the area of the airport, as they have to AGO serves as habitat for their workers. We go to bed early the coup to be fit tomorrow. You will find the new Flash news link HERE or open the site! It will drop nothing, we are still living here here! Stay with us, even remotely, your support is existential for us! Good night! For parents of friends at: everybody goes, we have the potato :)

Well, read the aricle A Release-west France: we have not seen too much on the picture of death threats to the mayor of Couëron, but still asked our friends to be careful out the message content support, if is to give the prefect way to add a layer to the demonization is not very smart (seen from our point) :)

Communiqué on 22nd October

Press Notre Dame des Landes: Attac condemns government expelled and destroyed!

The fight against the construction of the airport at Notre Dame des Landes took a peculiar turn this week with the invasion of the ZAD (Zone Development Zone Defending deferred renamed) by nearly 1,000 gendarmes. Sent to evict the activists occupying 15 days of winter break, and they leave room for the machinery for the construction of Vinci, in early 2013, a pre-bar road bétonnisation area. The airport, big project emblematic example of unnecessary and imposed a huge mess is both human and financial social and environmental benefits: it will chase the people there forever and others came to build sustainable alternatives opposed to models and industrial transport that lead us into the wall. Moreover, at a time when the government has chosen to implement a policy of austerity to achieve in 2013 a small deficit to 3% of GDP, how can he justify wasting hundreds of millions of euros or more to build an airport that he can not even demonstrate the social utility and whose funding will be provided by a public-private partnership to ensure a return on investment exorbitant Vinci? Ecological project will have a significant cost, it will not only destroy 1,600 hectares of farmland and farmland earmarked for the construction of the airport, but also tens of thousands for huge commercial and industrial areas will not fail to move into the 20 kilometers from Notre-Dame-des-Landes de Nantes. This will reduce the local vegetable production, agricultural production and biodiversity. CA Attac France, met Saturday 20 October, therefore supporting all those who are aware of conflicts between private interests and the general interest, to fight against the construction of the airport NDDL the Great West (AGO) and which are unacceptable victims of repression and police violence. Attac, October 20, 2012

October 22nd Time-line (read from bottom up)

Newswire of the day

You can take a place in the day with pictures  http://blogs.mediapart.fr/blog/bob- ...

17h Not content to destroy the house occupied this weekend the cops now handles also part of the emptied Dryer (located right side). Still occupied part of the Dryer is subject to a siege, its occupants were forbidden to go out all day and it should last up to 21h.

4:55 p.m. we are informed that the incoming customs search at the station of Nantes. Take care of yourself!

The execution judge sentences give its verdict Friday, October 26 (day 27 ....) compared to applications submitted by the deadline and Dryer Rose ... we will keep you informed of the near future of these "hotbeds of struggle" as the lawyer called AGO ....

- 15h00: they demolish the house that we reoccupied and blocking traffic on the road Septic black to secure the operation. At Wood Rignoux the road is deflected by the panels (in the sense Paquelais-Ardillières)

- 2:38 p.m.: vans black pits seem to go in the direction Vigneux

- 2:12 p.m.: not new, it is phantom-town!

-> If the ZAD of Notre Dame des Landes is currently occupied by the forces of order and power our homes and are not our balconies either! In support of the oppressed zad of Notre Dame des Landes and on our land grow vegetables and not of airports and / or bitumen: show our WILL DEFEND THE EARTH and STOP THIS PROJECT DESTRUCTIVE our BALCONIES, our WINDOWS. That our determination is visible everywhere on earth. When the law and to oppose life goes against the common good and become oppressors, resistance is legitimate.

- 13:30: break is over, they are destroying the house in Dominica Septic black

- 1:25 p.m.: The cops are still blocking the Ardillières ...

- 1:13 p.m.: not too low for the new versions, they are trying to eat it seems good ..... enjoying your break at the GM!

- 12:39: The backhoe is still mired, great work guys!

- 12:27: dam / lock to Ardillières to Paquelais, the dryer still not accessible, 5 arrests

- 12.20: The Dryer is still blocked, barricades black pits are destroyed, excavators are destroying the roof of the house of Dominica. We are sorry for you and your mom, thankfully it is not there to see here!

- 12:04: at the crossroads of Ardillières is "Roadblock", but there are not cops and people drive anyway. Do still care barriers of any kind on the road. 1 GM van crossroads Septic black / path Suez, two black vans roll pits east (Sabot)

- 11.45: Assessment of arrests today: 4 people. We confirmed that the barricades were on the road Septic black were destroyed.

- 11:30 GM convoy with a dump truck and a 4x4, take the road towards black Septic Saulce by eastward

- 11h15: on the road Pimki, GM put their armor. The crossroads between the road and the road Septic black Vigneux is free. There are more cops to Saulce

- 11h: the side of the road Pimki, the cops are just came in and destroyed some barricades but since people oppose their advance

- 10:47: Saulce the police leave and head south

- 10h35: three arrests on the road Septic black. There are five trucks on the road Septic black

- 10:23: the Saulce, it is reported that the cops shout "stop". The gendarmes were deployed along the route of the Fosse black to enter the fields near the Saulce

- 10h20: they can not get the shovel (the name "City of Vigneux") stuck to the Dryer! It will probably have to call a tow truck

- 10.15: a person of ACIPA was arrested on the way Pimki

- 10:12: the Saulce they approach the house (a dozen gendarmes). They coursent people outside

- 10:10: gendarmes leave Dryer except a few who monitor the excavator which is mired (hee!) In the garden behind VINCI wade YOU!

- 10:05: gendarmes entered the forest of Saulce (10m from the house)

- 9:45: Another Backhoe Septic happens to black. Total of three excavators

- 9:40: they cut the electricity to the Dryer. EDF trucks then go to Ardillières

- 9:36: a convoy to arrive backhoe pits black.

- 9:27: EDF 2 trucks and a truck with telescopic arm to Ardillières

- 9:25: they block the road to Ardillières, both towards Vigneux (D81) and Paquelais (D281)

- 9:19: cops block access from the shoe to the black pits. The truck carrying the machine bears the name of the company "Mustier Robin." We send "Mustier robin collaboration that carries  http://www.annuaire-des-transports machines ...." or HERE

- 9 am: twenty cops on foot forward at shoe pits black

- 8:57: a truck with a crane above reported near the newly occupied house

- 8:38: truck (without convoy) is stopped in front of the shoe. He leaves (!). A drilling machine leaves the zone management Vigneux. Ditto for the fire truck

- 8:10: The fire truck arrived at the Black Pits

- 8am: the cops are in the fields behind the house and on the other side of the road. A fire truck towards Ardillières from Vigneux

- 7:55: they advanced a few meters and cleared one of the barricades protecting access to the house

- 7:50: a minipelleteuse is leaving the zone management Vigneux

- 7:39: a car reported to Ardillières cops, no controls for instant

- 7:37: they start gassing the new house occupied

- 7:22: the cops out of vehicles. They walk in the fields behind the house reopened Friday 19 evening

- 7:15: the convoy between the east side of the road Septic black, heading towards the center of the black pits

- 7am: large convoy of cops heading for the Ardillières Vigneux (12 vehicles gendarmes)

- 6:55: nothing to report from this morning

- 2:00: cut everyone is sleep, then we too will be ready to 5am! Good luck and be careful especially to you!