What is Emmanuel Macron so afraid of, that would lead him to act so violently? Today living a little outside the system constitutes a threat to neoliberalism.
It is imperative that we succeed in defending the ZAD just as it is imperative that we succeed in defending the SNCF, the universities, and all the public services, against Emmanuel Macron and the world that he represents
The French government's abandonment of the airport project could leave a bitter taste at the Zad if it leads to the expulsion of those who have made the zone their home as well as their battle.
Yesterday's decision by the French government to abandon its plans for a new €580m (£513m) airport at Notre-Dame-Des-Landes lead to jubilant scenes at the Zad. The Zad–Zone à Defendre, a small piece of land near the proposed airport–is site of the longest and largest social struggle in France, and yesterday's decision was seen as a victory for the Zadists.
Decades ago, there was a local campaign of resistance against the construction of a second airport near the city of Nantes, in western France. This resistance culminated in the establishment of a self-organized autonomous zone, known as the ZAD. Over 40,000 people take part in creative acts of disobedience to defend this zone.
In this two-part film, by Roland Denning and Kyp Kiprianou for Dartmouth Films, looks to the origins of the movement and asks what it can teach activists across the globe.
