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Resistance is Fertile- One Account From the Zad An extract from an article written by a Combatant at the Zad.



French city of Nantes. The site is the location chosen by French Company Vinci on which to

build a second airport for the city. The airports building would mean the loss of many miles

of grassy wetland, and displace hundreds of residents and local farmers.



[TW police brutality\graphic detail] So it just kicked of again in the

ZAD, heres a first hand account of what happened. It’s a bit long and

probably has grammatical errors..



My ZAD experience this time has been completely different juxtaposed to

last years adventure. Hitching from Nantes to La ZAD this time a year ago

no one new about the anti-arport occupation where as this year everybody

was talking about it [after the evictions in November the ZAD was national

front page news].



I had to get dropped off slightly outside the zone because the police had

set up a check point on the road. After spending too long walking over

fields with all my tools and backpack. I finally got onto the D281, the

whole road is in the control of the ZAD residents. At first I passed a few

stacks of branches blocking parts of the road, I thought it was pretty

cute. Then every 10-50 meters would be a new barricade usually bigger than

the last until I was see huge piles of tires, haystacks and other

burnables with spikey shit jutting out of it and painted messages all

over the road, trenches dug deep through the tarmac and stone until they

hit water, projectiles lying in wait everywhere!



There is an air of militancy around the ZAD that wasn’t there before, this

is a real reinvention the meaning of “barricaded up to fuck”. Yet despite

this need for defenses there is still a lot of really cool projects going

on. There is still the ZADs own bakery, farm, bike workshops, libraries,

pirate radio, bars, internet cafe/comms van and probably loads more that I

haven’t stumble across yet.



I was anxious about coming because I’ve had reports of the ZAD [at the

moment] being hard for people turning up who don’t already know people on

la ZAD especially if [English is not your 1st language]. This is a bit

true but I think if you have a little self confidence and an initiative to

get up and do stuff you’ll be alright.



The weekend just saw an event called “Seme Ta ZAD” inviting the public to

come for a day of demonstration and various gardening events. Tonnes of

people of all ages and backgrounds rocked up and the event was really

successful. During the weekend the cops left their usual permanent check

point on the D81 road. ZADians and their supporters wasted no time

reclaiming the road with barricades and trenches dug out with pick axes.



Monday morning I woke before Sunrise and cycled the several kms to the

freshly liberated road. People were already standing around, some masked

up, watching figures on the opposite hill. At 1st I was unaware what was

unfolding. It later transpired that people were harassing the cops before

the could have their pre-raid breakfast. The cops aimlessly chased the

figures around the field a bit firring tear gas and concussion grenades.

Then the avant garde came running back and thats when things kicked the

fuck off.



The cops rocked up in vans in front of the 1st barricade and ran into the

adjacent woods and field trying to flank and rush us. Bricks, bottles and

the first molotov came out. In the confusion or out of stupidness a unit

of the filth rushed into the middle of crowd [now aprrox 30 and growing

rapidly]. Two hero cops jumped a combatant and all 3 ended up in a large

ditch on the side of the road. Then the next thing I know our friend has

made it out of the ditch and the cops are getting beaten hard by their own

battons! A cop across the road is also getting a kick in. The rest of

their “courageous” unit have bricked it returned to the safety of the

woods. The two manage to stubble out of the ditch and as they ran off one

gets hit with a molotov and is a burning cop. The crowd cheer.



More Avaliable at thesituationlondon.wordpress.com The Zad or Zone A Défendre (Zone to defend) is a large protest site in rural wetland outside theFrench city of Nantes. The site is the location chosen by French Company Vinci on which tobuild a second airport for the city. The airports building would mean the loss of many milesof grassy wetland, and displace hundreds of residents and local farmers.[TW police brutality\graphic detail] So it just kicked of again in theZAD, heres a first hand account of what happened. It’s a bit long andprobably has grammatical errors..My ZAD experience this time has been completely different juxtaposed tolast years adventure. Hitching from Nantes to La ZAD this time a year agono one new about the anti-arport occupation where as this year everybodywas talking about it [after the evictions in November the ZAD was nationalfront page news].I had to get dropped off slightly outside the zone because the police hadset up a check point on the road. After spending too long walking overfields with all my tools and backpack. I finally got onto the D281, thewhole road is in the control of the ZAD residents. At first I passed a fewstacks of branches blocking parts of the road, I thought it was prettycute. Then every 10-50 meters would be a new barricade usually bigger thanthe last until I was see huge piles of tires, haystacks and otherburnables with spikey shit jutting out of it and painted messages allover the road, trenches dug deep through the tarmac and stone until theyhit water, projectiles lying in wait everywhere!There is an air of militancy around the ZAD that wasn’t there before, thisis a real reinvention the meaning of “barricaded up to fuck”. Yet despitethis need for defenses there is still a lot of really cool projects goingon. There is still the ZADs own bakery, farm, bike workshops, libraries,pirate radio, bars, internet cafe/comms van and probably loads more that Ihaven’t stumble across yet.I was anxious about coming because I’ve had reports of the ZAD [at themoment] being hard for people turning up who don’t already know people onla ZAD especially if [English is not your 1st language]. This is a bittrue but I think if you have a little self confidence and an initiative toget up and do stuff you’ll be alright.The weekend just saw an event called “Seme Ta ZAD” inviting the public tocome for a day of demonstration and various gardening events. Tonnes ofpeople of all ages and backgrounds rocked up and the event was reallysuccessful. During the weekend the cops left their usual permanent checkpoint on the D81 road. ZADians and their supporters wasted no timereclaiming the road with barricades and trenches dug out with pick axes.Monday morning I woke before Sunrise and cycled the several kms to thefreshly liberated road. People were already standing around, some maskedup, watching figures on the opposite hill. At 1st I was unaware what wasunfolding. It later transpired that people were harassing the cops beforethe could have their pre-raid breakfast. The cops aimlessly chased thefigures around the field a bit firring tear gas and concussion grenades.Then the avant garde came running back and thats when things kicked thefuck off.The cops rocked up in vans in front of the 1st barricade and ran into theadjacent woods and field trying to flank and rush us. Bricks, bottles andthe first molotov came out. In the confusion or out of stupidness a unitof the filth rushed into the middle of crowd [now aprrox 30 and growingrapidly]. Two hero cops jumped a combatant and all 3 ended up in a largeditch on the side of the road. Then the next thing I know our friend hasmade it out of the ditch and the cops are getting beaten hard by their ownbattons! A cop across the road is also getting a kick in. The rest oftheir “courageous” unit have bricked it returned to the safety of thewoods. The two manage to stubble out of the ditch and as they ran off onegets hit with a molotov and is a burning cop. The crowd cheer.More Avaliable at thesituationlondon.wordpress.com Zad Combatant

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