An account of the day of action near Bure, Saturday 21 August 2021
All Colours Are Beautifull
On Saturday 21st, four processions, Violet, Golden, Green and Circus, spread out from different starting points to reach the same target. In a context where Andra is trying to get the Dossier d’Utilité Publique (DUP) accepted and is announcing a public inquiry in September to make it its democratic showcase, we have targeted the work associated with Cigéo.
The processions marched on or around the route of the railway line that runs from Ligny-en-Barrois to Saudron-Guillaumé, passing through Gondrecourt-le-Château. This railway line is intended to carry radioactive waste to the downstream facility and then bury it underground. If the DUP is accepted, the renovation of this railway line could officially begin, as well as the expropriation of the surrounding houses and fields.
The processions had different intentions and different ways of doing things. Stress-free, press-free, wheelchair accessible, noisy, fast, etc. Within them some of them were queer groups or groups without cis men, people with different mobility and stamina, different ages.
The Circus procession set off from Horville in tractors, flying phoenixes, wheels and clown noses, waving their banners against the DUP and against colonial nuclear power.
In the Golden block, all sorts of collective moves were put into practice to avoid the cops and reach the target, with success.
The Purple procession, starting from Abainville, was blocked by the cops at the entrance of Gondrecourt, despite an attempt to pass the cops’ lines by dancing and drumming. This purple procession was the only one to pass through the town centre and it concentrated most of the police’s workforce and efforts. It seems that the priority of the cops was to make the mobilisation invisible (in total, about 800 people).
Finally, the banner “Andra dégage, vive le bricolage” [Andra fuck off, long live DIY] opened the way to the green procession on the old railway line from Abainville to Gondrecourt. This “DIY” was quite successful: some signs fell down, some rails were unscrewed, one rail was twisted with a jack. These rails will be needed for the renovation of the railway and will have to be used for the machine that will be used to replace them. This collective DIY, which everyone was able to try their hand at, was therefore not just symbolic sabotage.
All the processions tried to reach the Andra depot at Gondrecourt-le-Château.
This former furniture factory, which had to be closed, is a vast esplanade with 2 or 3 sheds and a small water tower clearly visible in the ANDRA colours. It is the place where machines are stored and geological samples are taken. Above all, it is the future ANDRA intermodal platform located on the edge of the old railway line. It is the symbol of a deadly project that is perfectly suited to the desertification of this region. This place will probably become a fortress like the laboratory in Saudron or the Bois Lejus. It is now that we must act while we still have some footholds. And this Saturday we got off to a good start!
Under the fireworks, the Golden and Green processions arrived, from one side and from the other. The gates came down, the walls of the sheds and those surrounding Lejuc Wood were tagged, office windows were smashed and a few cars were damaged or turned over. The Circus sang “Andra dégage, résistance et sabotage” [Andra fuck off, resistance and sabotage] and the drums of the Violet bloc could be heard in the distance. On the way back, one person was arrested – we send her strength. Support rallies were held in the following days in front of the police station and the court.
The day was a success. It gave us strength and a lot to think about in terms of how to shape our actions. Soon we want to publish analytical articles about this experiment and invite discussions on our methods.
For a diversity of tactics that strengthen each other and for taking into account our differences,
