[en] Current Situation

Despite the evictions that are taking place since the 15th of October and although a couple of squatted houses, self-made cabins and tree houses have been destroyed, the ZAD is still occupied and the Resistance is probably stronger than ever. By now the amount of occupied places and self-made cabins has probably again reached a level which it had before the big eviction wave in October and November (still growing). But the public awareness for the message that this occupation contains has multiplied.

The places that are the centers of living and fighting on the ZAD are widespread throughout the large area of forests, bushland and agricultural spaces. A lot of them are rather hidden.

As if you look on the ground in a forest, where at the first moment most of the life remains invisible and you only start to realize the whole amount of what is going on, once you take the perspective of a stateless ant and throw yourself into the anthill. And this hill is full of free ants!

Cabin villages

There are several cabin villages on the ZAD. Most of them have no legal status and can be evicted any time. Fortunately it seems that the state forces don’t consider them very important, which seems to protect them somehow.

At the moment ‘La Chateigne’ has a special position in this. Build in times of the reoccupation on the 17th of November, it was one of the most endangered places. It is protected by numerous barricades and was surrounded throughout the winter by a chain of tractors from farmers in solidarity with the ZAD. Since La Chateigne is currently not evictable (which could probably change by the end of march) the tractors left to protect the old farmers house Bellevue. Since the end of December there are different collectives, changing every week, who run La Chateigne with its big meeting place, the kitchen, the collective sleeping places and the small pub “No TAVerne” for avtivity weeks with skill-sharings and discussions attracting not only people from France.

Tree houses

In addition to single tree houses and plattforms – to over view the area- there is only the remote “La Gare” left as one of the “old” tree house villages. “La Saulce” and “Forêt Rohanne” have already been evicted. But the history of the ZAD shows that tree houses happen to be rebuild quite fast sometimes. (e.g. the tree houses in “Forêt Rohanne” have been destroyed and rebuild for severel times within a view weeks). So maybe the next tree house village is being build right now…

Houses

There are several houses that are still occupied by their “original” inhabitants who partly opened them to the community. Most of those houses that where occupied by the ZADists after being vacant are already evicted and destroyed.

The most important houses for you could be…:

– La Secherie (shower, washing machine, collective sleeping space)

– Les Fosses Noir (There is fresh bread every Monday, Thursday and Saterday)

Police and Repression

Since the end of November the police is located on the ZAD almost permanently. They make ID- and car-checks at 2-3 junctions. Find more details on what will expect you there and how you avoid these checks under repression.