November 9th, 2014
anonymous communiqué / Contra info
November 9th, 2014
anonymous communiqué / Contra info
In the night between the 4th and 5th of November, an excavator and a drilling machine were burned on the construction site in Vandenbranden street in the centre of Brussels. A slogan was spray-painted on the spot: “For Rémi”.
They gentrify, we destroy!
[Rémi was killed by police in the ZAD du Testet struggle in France. More info.]
November 7th, 2014
November 7th, 2014
[from Earth First! Newswire: Editor's Note: The following piece is a loose and expanded translation of an article posted by 325 on October 28th.]
The evolution of science, as a dominative means of objectification, has solidified into a self-proving entity that is intervening with the very cyclical networks of nature. We, as sentient people, are in revolt against its confining movement and role as a facilitator of militarization, psychiatry, specism, anthropocentrism, and heteronormativity within this current patriarchal era.
With such motivation, we are currently focusing our actions on biotech labs that are leading studies in genetic intervention, and fertilizing a branch of science that manipulates the very fibers of life. Not only are humans regenerating stem cells, meddling with plant properties, and experimenting on animals, but are doing so with the sole intention of “improving” our existence. Such a mentality is a societal construct based upon the notion that humanity cradles the authority to transgress fellow beings.
In raw defiance, we chose specific locations in which there is a concentration of genetic research and, on the morning of October 28th, painted the façades with green and yellow to portray our solidarity with nature and our dedication to active rebellion from here on out.
Lema, one of these labs, concentrates on biochemical research in the fields of endocrinology and nefrology, and is heavily involved in remolding human genetics; hormonal experiments, adjustment of the body’s chemical make-up, and nuclear medicine are all unraveling within its walls.
We also arrived at the corner of San Pablo to smear the windows of Campus Lab, a building whose activity also revolves around invading the body with technology called PCR. This instrument was designed to play with our molecular design in hopes of preventing infection and postponing the beautiful and inevitable descent of mortality.
We are fabricating artificial purity, a permeating image of the human body that redefines our ecological relations and the concept of ‘health’ and ‘natural movement’—although disassociating ourselves from our surroundings is rather impossible. Furthermore, the equipment of Campus Lab serves to identify individuals with the intention of lubricating the judicial machine and increasing incarceration rates.
In Nunoa, GeneXpress operates as another company dedicated to supplying the biotech industry with more data, funding, and progressive materials. It aims to infuse the medical field with genetically modifying innovations, while avoiding public scrutiny. We proceeded to smear their walls as well.
We realize that our action was a small gesture; however, we are being called to exercise our resources from an array of perches, and are prepared for more elaborate forms of destruction. And so, today we have decided to organize and resist the very structures of science, a perceptual approach that is fostering tension not only on the economic level, but also at the roots of how we perceive ourselves and, consequently, how we project and interact with the environment.
We don’t simply seek to generate ‘alternative’ practices, but rather to destroy the shadowing pillars through direct action. Nor do we believe that someone who chooses to ingest tapsin to alleviate the flu is a mere conformant; we move to question impeding paradigms, as well as the very ideological strands and everyday actions that maintain them. To our bodies being explosions of thought and sensations of creative retaliation!
November 7th, 2014
November 7th, 2014
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL— Community activists with Everglades Earth First! have halted what they call Kolter Development’s “illegal” construction in Palm Beach Gardens’ Briger Forest. A disabled vehicle is sitting in the road at the construction entrance to the site and two people have locked their bodies to it. This week work crews began clearing trees for the construction, which has been mired in controversy for years. If completed, the development would destroy the 681-acre Briger Forest, one of the largest unprotected forests of its size in the southern region of the state.
Update: Three activists have now been arrested, while the van continues to blockade the entrance to the construction zone. Donate to their bail fund.
“We’re here stopping a crime; the illegal destruction of the Briger Forest. Kolter Group Co. is violating the Endangered Species Act and operating without all the proper permits fully approved,” Said Ryan Hartman. “The time for compromise is over. If we don’t take direct action and put our bodies on the line to protect what we have left, developers will pave over and pollute every last inch of this place.”
Groups like Everglades Earth First! and the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC) have been fighting to protect the Briger Forest since 2010. Last winter a justice department lawyer admitted to PBCEC’s lawyer Bill Eubanks that there were no practical alternatives to site layout designs that could both benefit continued snake use of the site and also satisfy the project’s purpose and need, effectively sentencing to death any Eastern Indigo Snake on the property. The Eastern Indigo Snake is one of 13 state and federally listed animal and plant species whom the Briger is suitable to support. A member of PBCEC is also appealing permits for construction needed from the South Florida Water Management District. Beyond the legal challenges the groups have gathered hundreds of petition signatures, held demonstrations and even staged a six-week tree-sit in the forest to protest the development.
“Kolter and Palm Beach County have had a corrupt deal from the beginning. It is a crime against nature for developers to keep bulldozing over wild South Florida in order to perpetuate an animal torturing biotech expansion agenda.” Said Ashley Lyons.
Since the early 2000’s, Jeb Bush has tried to lure the Biotech industry to Florida with heavy state and local subsidies including this project and the construction of a campus for biotech company Scripps Florida. In the past few years Scripps has received about half a billion dollars in state subsidies for new facilities and has an agreement to lease the county owned portion of the property for $1 dollar a year ensuring their corporate
welfare for years to come.
With the construction of a massive primate breeding facility in Hendry County, the “progressive” biotech industry is solidifying it’s future of inhumane animal testing and Scripps will be no exception. Scripps in Lajolla, CA has a history of testing on primates and Scripps Phase II will more than likely vivisect primates if constructed.
Everglades Earth First! promises to continue fighting the development every step of the way.
“We’re going to fight this project until it’s stopped because this forest is worth fighting for.” Said Rachel Kijewski.
For more information visit www.ScrapScripps.info
According to most recent reports from Everglades Earth First!,”The three arrested during the Briger Forest blockade are in custody at Palm Beach County Jail. Each are facing multiple misdemeanor charges. Bail has yet to be set. The blockade reportedly stopped workers from entering the site for over four hours.”
At least 22 cop cars, an emergency field force vehicle, and a mobile command unit were on site, and both people participating in the lockdown were arrested, along with the support person.
Support direct action, and help us continue to defend the Briger Forest before it’s too late! Donate to these brave individuals’ legal funds here: https://www.everribbon.com/ribbon/view/16764
Groups like Everglades Earth First! and the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC) have been fighting to protect the Briger Forest since 2010. Last winter a justice department lawyer admitted to PBCEC’s lawyer Bill Eubanks that there were no practical alternatives to site layout designs that could both benefit continued snake use of the site and also satisfy the project’s purpose and need, effectively sentencing to death any Eastern Indigo Snake on the property. The Eastern Indigo Snake is one of 13 state and federally listed animal and plant species whom the Briger is suitable to support. A member of PBCEC is also appealing permits for construction needed from the South Florida Water Management District. Beyond the legal challenges the groups have gathered hundreds of petition signatures, held demonstrations and even staged a six-week tree-sit in the forest to protest the development.
“Kolter and Palm Beach County have had a corrupt deal from the beginning. It is a crime against nature for developers to keep bulldozing over wild South Florida in order to perpetuate an animal torturing biotech expansion agenda,” said Ashley Lyons, an organizer with Everglades Earth First!
Since the early 2000’s, Jeb Bush has tried to lure the Biotech industry to Florida with heavy state and local subsidies including this project and the construction of a campus for biotech company Scripps Florida. In the past few years Scripps has received about half a billion dollars in state subsidies for new facilities and has an agreement to lease the county owned portion of the property for $1 dollar a year ensuring their corporate welfare for years to come.
With the construction of a massive primate breeding facility in Hendry County, the “progressive” biotech industry is solidifying it’s future of inhumane animal testing and Scripps will be no exception. Scripps in Lajolla, California, has a history of testing on primates and Scripps Phase II will more than likely vivisect primates if constructed.
Everglades Earth First! promises to continue fighting the development every step of the way.
“We’re going to fight this project until it’s stopped because this forest is worth fighting for,” said Rachel Kijewski.
For more info on the blockade and its reasons, click here.
November 6th, 2014
November 6th, 2014
Joint Declaration from the National Indigenous Congress and the EZLN on the Cowardly Attack by Government forces against the Ñatho Indigenous Community of San Francisco Xochicuautla on November 3, 2014:
November 5th, 2014
November 5th, 2014
The Hambach or Hambacher forest is located near Cologne, Germany and is under threat from an adjacent lignite (brown coal) mine expansion. The occupation to keep the trees standing has been ongoing for three years.
100 meters distant from a new tree occupation in the cutting area of RWE a harvester has been squatted to block the ongoing fellings. Both occupations are part of the campaign „hands off the trees!“ (german: „Kein Baum fällt“), that continues unabatedly in the light of last week’s repression.
We defend the forest against your violence!
Since Thursday one imprisoned comrade is awaiting trial in Aachen. Please contact us to express your solidarity via post mail.
UPDATES
14:00 Uhr – RWE personel starts cuttings near a tree, that has been occupied four days ago.
15:00 Uhr – Activists express the imminent danger of people in the trees.
15:30 Uhr – A harvester is blocked by four persons.
16:00 Uhr – Private security guards retreat from the tree occupation to gather at the squatted vehicle. They are armed with iron tonfas as usual.
After the events on Thursday (10/30/2014), 13 of 14 arrested activist are free again. Most of them remained at the police stations for about 24 hours. One person is still in jail, probably because of extremely severe accusations. We will try to put up the prisoner support for him on the occupation.
Some arrested activists were forced to give their fingerprints by violence. 6 had to give their DNA to the court. While raiding the meadow occupation, the police confiscated several items they defined as illegal. Some small electronical devices were stolen by police „in private“. 5 climbing harnesses and several mobile phones were confiscated from the arrested people.
While the only treehouse which was located in the this year clearcut area has been evicted, the Hambach Forest remains occupied at two other spots.
Update: 7am Police Search and Rescue arrive at the scene
Update: 7am Police Search and Rescue arrive at the scene
MAULES CREEK 5 November 2014: Batman returned today to shut down Whitehaven’s Maules Creek project. A person dressed as Batman has scaled Whitehaven’s largest excavator, the Hitachi Super Digger. This action comes on the heels of Monday’s report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finding that damage to the environment caused by fossil fuel use continues to increase. Today is the fourth consecutive day of the Release the Bats Act Up stopping work on Whitehaven sites.
The Hitachi ex8000 Super Digger is a key piece of ‘ultra class’ mining machinery with an 800 tonne scoop capacity. This equipment is essential if Whitehaven is to get coal out on their forever-shifting date for first coal.
Lewis Laurence, 23, who is on the excavator said “We want to draw attention to the human cost of climate change, the real cost of this mine to the global community. What happens here affects fishermen thousands of miles away, who may no longer have homes to return their boats to. Instead of asking ourselves, ‘Where were we? What did we do?’ We need to ask ourselves, ‘What are we doing now?’ ”
The United Nations IPCC report suggests that we are doing very little, warning of catastrophic climate change just around the corner if we do not act now. According to the IPCC a predicted increase in the global temperature of 20C is a threshold beyond which impacts would be irreversibly damaging. Whitehaven’s Maules Creek project is increasingly detrimental to our climate and environment, globally as well as on a local scale.
“Whitehaven have been given permission to destroy a large portion of the Leard State Forest for open cut coal and will leave behind a ‘void pit’ which will collect water and poison the local aquifers,” said Mr. Laurence
“Whitehaven will face no charges and will accept no responsibility for their destruction unless people stand up,” said Emily Rose, Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson
The Leard Forest Alliance is calling for a stop work order on the Maules Creek project while a full and proper audit of the planning and approvals process at state and federal levels is conducted.
“This mine should never have been approved. The potential damage to local aquifers and impacts on climate display a single-minded interest in profit from our state and federal government. We must heed the international consensus, and leave coal in the ground,” said Ms. Rose
This last week has already seen a number of Whitehaven sites shut down through peaceful civil disobedience including: the co-owned Idemitsu and Whitehaven Tarrawonga Haul road, access to the Maules Creek mine site, the Maules Creek Hitachi excavator, as well as Whitehaven’s Narrabri North underground mine which also halted a supply train carrying 6000t of coal.
There have been over 270 people arrested as part of the campaign to defend the Leard State Forest.
Further Information:
| Emily Rose Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson0401 214 729 |
Meret MacDonald Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson0402 017 027 |
Twitter updates @FLACCoal and #LeardBlockade
November 4th, 2014
November 4th, 2014
UPDATE 8:30AM (Australian Eastern Time): Police and Police Rescue have arrived on the scene.
10:50: Jamie and Serenity have been arrested in the line of protecting our climate and water, and have been taken to Narrabri Police station.
MAULES CREEK, 4 November 2014: In the second day of Leard Forest Alliance’s (LFA) “Release the Bats” Initiative against Whitehaven Coal two people have locked themselves to a conveyer belt in the Whitehaven-owned Narrabri North underground mine.
Serenity Hill, 37, and Jamie Yarnald, 32 immobilised the belt as part of a weekend of protest against the controversial Whitehaven-owned Maules Creek coal mine project. If this mine is allowed to continue its operations, Whitehaven will deplete the groundwater aquifer by up to two metres.
“Working with farms and food has shown me first hand just how important clean usable water is for our survival. So the contamination or lack of our precious water is very concerning for me,” said Ms. Hill, a food systems analyst whose action with Mr. Yarnald halted mine operations for the course of the morning.
LFA spokesperson Phil Evans said “The IPCC report released yesterday warns that if we continue with the disregard for our environment we have shown, by 2050 we will see catastrophic climate change.” Evans called upon the NSW government to “say neigh to coal this Melbourne Cup day.”
The LFA is calling on the NSW government to stop work immediately on the scandal-plagued Maules Creek project and to conduct a full inquiry into the planning and approval methods that allowed this project to proceed.
“Coal needs to stay in the ground for us all to have a liveable, breathable climate. 80% of coal needs to stay in the ground for us to avoid catastrophic climate change,” said Mr. Yarnald. His arrest with Ms. Hill adds to the over 270 arrests this year in a continuous effort from the community led, non-violent Leard Blockade campaign.
Further Information:
| Emily Rose Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson 0401 214 729 |
Phil Evans Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson 0490 064 139 |
High Resolution Photos: mediafire.com/folder/6kj6m626b81xy/4_November_2014
Twitter updates @FLACCoal and #LeardBlockade
November 3rd, 2014
November 3rd, 2014
Entering the third week, starting at 7:00 AM this morning protesters blocked the gates of Texas-based Crestwood Midstream’s gas storage facility on the shore of Seneca Lake. 15 people were arrested at about 9:00 AM after Crestwood called the police. Last week, ten protesters were arrested in acts of civil disobedience blocking the gates, just as the 15 people did today. Protesters have held blockades at the Crestwood gate since Thursday, October 23; on Wednesday, October 29, they began blocking two of the gates to Crestwood. Notably, the ongoing protests also included a rally with more than 200 people at the Crestwood gate on Friday, October 24th.
Friday, October 24th marked the day that major new construction on the gas storage facility was authorized to begin. The ongoing acts of civil disobedience come after the community pursued every possible avenue to stop the project and after being thwarted by an unacceptable process and denial of science.
The unified action is called ‘WE ARE SENECA LAKE’. More information and pictures of the actions over the previous weeks are available at www.WeAreSenecaLake.com.
The protests are taking place at the gates of the Crestwood compressor station site on the shore of Seneca Lake, the largest of New York’s Finger Lakes. The methane gas storage expansion project is advancing in the face of broad public opposition and unresolved questions about geological instabilities, fault lines, and possible salinization of the lake, which serves as a source of drinking water for 100,000 people. A Capital New York investigation recently revealed that Governor Cuomo’s DEC excised references to the risks of underground gas storage from a 2011 federal report on methane contamination of drinking water and has allowed key data to remain hidden.
*Note that the WE ARE SENECA LAKE protest is to stop the expansion of methane gas storage, a separate project from Crestwood’s proposed Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage project, which is on hold pending a Department of Environmental Conservation Issues Conference.
The 15 people arrested today are: Lyn Gerry, John Dennis, Mariah Plumlee, Bob Henrie, Laura Salamandra, Elan Shapiro, Lindsay Clark, Darlene Bordwell, Jodi Dean, Ruth Young (former Schuyler County Legislator), Paul Passavant, Stephanie Redmond, Joanne Cipolla Dennis, Martha Ferger, and Kenneth Fogarty.
Ruth Young of Horseheads, a former member of the Schuyler County Legislature, was among those arrested today, said, “We’re standing on what used to be a part of my legislative district in Schuyler County. I am embarrassed and saddened to see what is going on here, I’m sad to see that some of the people in this district are actually supporting this endeavor to store gas in a very unstable salt formation.”
John Dennis, PhD, of Lansing, who was arrested today, said, “I’m worried about water quality, there are severe salinity problems already, and I’m almost certain those will get worse because we think the existing problems are caused by gas storage started in 1964.”
Mariah Plumlee of Covert, a mother of three who was also arrested today, said, “I think it’s really important to do this, and if everybody did this then we wouldn’t have this problem. We moved here almost ten years ago because we knew it would be a wonderful place to raise a family.”
Lyn Gerry of Watkins Glen, a radio host in Schuyler County, arrested today, said, “Our elected officials have let us down, so we have to take matters into our own hands. I love Seneca Lake, I love this area. I’m not from here originally, I’ve traveled 3,000 miles to come to this beautiful place by this beautiful lake to live, and I’ve come from a place that greed has already destroyed. So I know what a land being destroyed looks like. So now, my back is to the wall and I must defend what I love.”
Note, press are encouraged to come to the court arraignment – for the ten protesters arrested on October 29th – on Nov. 5th starting at 6:00 PM at the Reading Town Hall, 3914 County Rt. 28, Watkins Glen.
As they have for a long time, the protesters are continuing to call on President Obama, U.S. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Governor Cuomo, and Congressman Reed to intervene on behalf of the community and halt the dangerous project.
Recently, the Tompkins County Legislature approved a resolution that opposes gas storage on the lakeshore, as well as the Yates County Legislature. In so doing, they joined the Board of Supervisors of both Ontario and Seneca counties, which previously passed motions opposing gas storage, along with the Geneva City Council and the Watkins Glen Village Board.
In spite of overwhelming opposition, grave geological and public health concerns, Crestwood has federal approval to move forward with plans to store highly pressurized, explosive gas in abandoned salt caverns on the west side of Seneca Lake. While the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has temporarily halted plans to stockpile propane and butane (LPG) in nearby caverns—out of ongoing concerns for safety, health, and the environment—Crestwood is actively constructing infrastructure for the storage of two billion cubic feet of methane (natural gas), with the blessing of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Background:
Local businesses and wineries are part of broad opposition to Texas-based Crestwood-Midstream’s proposal to use old abandoned salt caverns along Seneca Lake to store millions of barrels of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and billions of cubic feet of natural gas. The proposal has generated opposition from over 200 businesses, over 60 wineries, 13 municipalities (including neighboring Watkins Glen) and thousands and thousands of residents in the Finger Lakes region who are concerned about the threat it poses to public health and safety, one of the state’s largest supplies of drinking water, the local economy, and the area’s growing wine and tourism industry.
Residents, wineries and other local businesses have issued emergency calls to President Obama, U.S. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Congressman Reed and Governor Cuomo to immediately step in and stop this reckless project that threatens the heart of the Finger Lakes, many people’s health and the drinking water source for 100,000 people.
Additionally, an investigative journalist with DC Bureau recently uncovered other scientific objections to the project, to which FERC did not give due consideration in issuing approval. Independent scientists have warned about the unstable geology of the salt caverns, including the fact that a 400,000 ton chunk of rock – roughly the size of an aircraft carrier – had given way in the very cavern that the company proposed to use for gas storage.
Furthermore, in August, Dr. Rob Mackenzie, a retired CEO of Cayuga Medical Center, a hospital about 20 miles east, raised objections. An experienced risk analyst, Mackenzie prepared a formal quantitative risk analysis of the Crestwood methane gas proposal. Mackenzie analyzed accident events — major fires, explosions, collapses, catastrophic loss of product, evacuations — at salt cavern storage facilities in the United States dating back to 1972. He concluded that the risk of an “extremely serious” salt cavern event within Schuyler County over the next 25 years is more than 35%.
According to Energy Information Administration data uncovered by Mackenzie – reported by Peter Mantius of DC Bureau – gas storage facilities in salt caverns in the United States have had high rates of problems. Between 1972 and 2012,there have been 18 “serious or extremely serious incidents” at U.S. salt cavern storage facilities, Mackenzie wrote, citing EIA data. That translates to an incident rate in the US of about 60%.
Mackenzie also found that nine of the 18 salt cavern incidents involved large fires and/or explosions; six involved loss of life or serious injury; eight involved evacuations of between 30 and 2,000 residents; and 13 involved extremely serious property losses.
Seneca Lake is economically critical to the region and New York State. A recent report on the state’s grape and wine industry showed that it contributes $4.8 billion to the New York State economy every year, supporting the equivalent of 25,000 full-time jobs, paying over $408 million in taxes, and generating over 5.2 million wine-related tourism visits. The Finger Lakes region, in particular, has gained increasing prominence as home to world-class wines, with many wineries earning awards in national and international competitions. Governor Cuomo highlighted the success of the industry at his 2013 Governor’s Cup Wine Competition in Watkins Glen, exactly where the gas storage facility is being proposed for location and this past summer, a Seneca Lake winery won the 2014 Governor’s Cup.
The region has become so widely known for its winemaking that vintners from the international community have begun to invest in the area as well.
The Finger Lakes is also considered a world-class tourism destination, with Shermans Travel naming it the #1 Lake Vacation in the world last year.
In addition to the over-industrialization such a storage facility would cause, salt cavern storage is historically unsafe. It presents the potential for explosive accidents and water contamination along the Finger Lakes. Salt cavern storage represents only a small percentage of gas storage facilities, but is responsible for the majority of instances of catastrophic failure. In 2001, gas migrated 7 miles from a salt cavern storage facility in Kansas, came up in abandoned brine wells and exploded, killing two people, destroying buildings and evacuating residents. There are many such abandoned brine wells just three miles from the proposed facility in downtown Watkins Glen, NY.
November 2nd, 2014
November 2nd, 2014
The bats have been released! Mass protests against Whitehaven Coal.
Maules Creek Mine Main access: A young woman has locked herself to the inside of a car, blocking the main access point for Maules creek mine.
UPDATE: Police rescue have arrived on the scene
Maules Creek Mine, inside: The railway line being built inside the mine site has been blocked by a woman suspended in a tree with the rope going across the construction site.
UPDATE: Workers have been able to go under the ropes, trucks are still being held up.
Maules Creek Mine Hitachi Digger: 1 woman has scaled the super digger while another woman has locked herself to the huge machine.
Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson
Murray Drechsler
0418754869
MAULES CREEK 3/11/2014
Over eighty people have set up separate blockades on and around the construction site of the controversial Maules Creek mine, near Narrabri, in a ramp up of peaceful action to prevent the mine from depressurising the water table.
Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek mine has been seriously delayed by a growing movement of farmers, environmentalists and other supporters concerned that farm bores will fail due to the 600 megalitres of water the mine would use each year.
The Leard Forest Alliance is calling on NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes to stop construction work on the mine while a parliamentary inquiry into planning decisions is underway.
Spokesperson for the Leard Forest Alliance Murray Drechsler said “The amount of water Whitehaven plans to use over the life of the Maules Creek mine would fill a third of Lake Burley Griffin and this is water that should be used for food production.”
“The community has the courage to stand up for water ahead of coal and we expect Planning Minister Rob Stokes to do the same.” Continued Mr. Drechsler.
The mine’s state and federal approvals were granted before Whitehaven had finished their water management plan and that fact was included in a submission to the parliamentary inquiry.
Twitter:
@FLACcoal #Leardblockade
2 November 2014
French local authorities have decided to suspend work on a controversial dam after the death last week of an activist protesting against the project.
The executive council in charge of the project in the south-western Tarn region decided to freeze work on the dam but did not definitively scrap it.
It was impossible in the light of the tragedy to continue any work at the site of the Sivens dam project, said Thierry Carcenac, head of the region’s executive council. “What happened was terrible and should never happen again,” he added.
Remi Fraisse, 21, died in the early hours of Sunday during violent clashes between security forces and protesters against the project. It was the first death during a protest in mainland France since 1986.
Initial investigations showed traces of TNT on his clothes and skin, suggesting he may have been killed by a police stun grenade.
France’s interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, who has come under fire over the incident, has since banned the use of the grenades, which are designed to stun rather than kill.
The already unpopular government of President François Hollande has come under more pressure over a perceived slow response to the death, as well as allegations that police mishandled the riots.
The death has been followed by renewed clashes. Overnight on Thursday, 200 protesters rampaged through the western city of Rennes, with some overturning cars and breaking shop windows. Further protests are planned throughout the weekend and authorities are bracing for further unrest.
Ecology minister Ségolène Royal will next week gather together all warring parties to discuss the future of the Sivens dam.
Those opposed to the project say the dam will destroy a reservoir of biodiversity and will only benefit a small number of farmers. Those promoting the project, meanwhile, retort that the dam is in the public interest as it will ensure irrigation and the development of high-value crops.
from The Guardian
—
In running battles during an unauthorised demonstration in eastern Paris, 66 young protesters were arrested for attacking police and possession of offensive weapons. In Nantes and Toulouse more than 30 activists were arrested and six policemen injured on Saturday. Other demonstrations on Sunday – including a sit-in beside the Eiffel Tower and a silent march at the scene of last week’s death – passed off peacefully.
Rémi Fraisse, 21, a young botanist and pacifist, was protesting against the building of a dam in an unspoiled valley in south-western France eight days ago when police stun grenade exploded behind his back. His death – the first in a political demonstration in France for many years – has caused widespread consternation and has become a cause célèbre for French hard-left and green activists.
Radical protesters and some mainstream green politicians have blamed the young man’s death on the allegedly “authoritarian” and right-leaning policies of the reformist, Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls. When protesters attacked buildings and hurled molotov cocktails and acid at riot police in Nantes on Saturday, Mr Valls attempted to turn the tables. He accused the protesters of “dirtying” the memory of the young victim who was not just a “militant ecologist” but also a “convinced pacifist”.
Work on the dam at Sivens in the Tarn departement was suspended last Tuesday, three days after the death of Mr Fraisse. The environment minister, Ségolène Royal, broke with government policy in an interview yesterday by suggesting that the dam was too large and should never have received planning permission.
from The Independent
