The 17th of November 2012, from 9am; thousands of protesters gathered in Notre-Dame-des-Landes. Around 11am, it was a huge procession which went towards the ZAD in a happy funny messy atmosphere. Huge, but full of people from a variety of backgrounds: from the area or the other side of the country; young or older, families or fighting groups; local committees or individual… A procession with different atmospheres between sambas, chorals (improvised or not), quiet walk and clowns bands. Everywhere, a flag symbolizing the fight: a red circle around a plane crossed. A happy group, which was joined by tractors, trucks full of structural, various building materials, big tops, marabouts… According to our counts, we were around 40 000 people and 400 tractors. This big popular demonstration has showed the fail of authorities campaign to divide the opposition against Notre-Dame-des-Landes Airport and its world.
Around 1pm, the beginning of the procession arrived on the reoccupation site, whereas the end of the procession didn’t leave the village yet! While, in a field, people built a camp, others started to clear the field chosen to host the new organization place: a wood of chesnuts with some clearings which is going to be expropriated. We were a lot to make a chain to bring the materials at the end of the muddy path. Very quickly, we saw frames of the structures assemblied. In the meantime, in this field, a lot of fighting groups testified about their fights they lead here or elsewhere against the territory planning and the world undermount with it.
By the end of the day, walls of meeting cabin and the collective kitchen were built. We also built sanitations, sleepings, workshop, furniture and other little structures. Many other cabins brought in the day will be built in the next days.
The fight continues, this week-end and the next week to continue the reconstruction on the occupied field, in Rohanne forrest and elsewhere; the next week-end for the monthly demonstration against the airport (Saturday, 24th, in Nantes); and in the next months to forbid the destruction of the Rohanne forrest and the first road works planned in the next months – meetings will be announced on the website zad.nadir.org
When they fought they could empty the area, the movement against the airport grows. A collective fight which just begins.
