Presentation: The use of anti-terror-laws against eco-social struggles in France

by AusserKontrolle

January the 20th  / 08:30 p.m. / AZ Conni / Rudolf Leonhard Strasse 39

4281027_zad-nddl_545x460_autocropSpontaneously a friend from France vistis us and will talk about the application of (new) anti-terror-laws against social and ecological movements. The legal actions implemented before and after the attacks in Paris have a broad impact to this protest movements. If demonstrations got baned and activists got arrested preventively, by pointing out that there is a state of Exception (Carl Schmidt), the radical cuts of fundamental rights are obvious and let us devine where that road will take us. All the more we have to stay away from the anti-terror-hysteria and -rhetoric and got more informed in order to get organized against repression, surveillance and anti-terrorist-laws.

Our speaker is an active part of the protest and actions around the so called Le ZAD (Zone A Défendre = defensive zone / zone to defend). Le ZAD can be described as a form of direct eco-social resistance against a airport construction project that was started in 1972. Meanwhile the plans where put off and acivated again in 2000. By the will of the authorities 20.000 m² wet and agricultural land should be transformed into a concrete jungle. This would mean a massive destruction of the habitat for many people, diverse animals and plants, that depend on such humid areas. Ever since it was tried by all available means to railroad the project through in the public opinion: land was bought up, people got chaised out of there houses, until lately by “blackmailing” and  intimidation. Today after years of legal procedures it’s all about evictions and expropriations. There is a diverse resistance mainly by civil associations and organisations, politicans of different leftist and green parties as well as agricultural unions. Since 2009 more and more people with a more radical criticism of capitalism and every form of exploitation decleared there solidarity [1]. On a pratical level they occupy land and houses and with that oppose the mega project.

Le ZAD is acutely threatened by getting eviceted. Since Charlie Hebdo the activsts faced with constantly increasing and new anti-terror-laws.


[1] Meant are (among others) forms of exploitation of the environment that are closely related to the capitalist logic of growth.