After 28 days the Nantes hunger strike ends, with concession from authorities to reconsider land expropriations
After 28 days of hunger strike, which Michel Tarin endured to the end, and 5 others fasted for slightly shorter periods, the strike has ended. At last there have been concessions from the local authorities that the compulsory purchase of land owned by farmers and other local residents will be suspended for the time being. The expropriations will not now go ahead until the outcome of several legal proceedings that have been filed against the proposed airport. It is likely that these legal challenges will take up to two years, giving the campaigners two more years in which to continue their opposition. The hunger strikers ended their fast with bowls of soup, and though exhausted, they are delighted with the result. Drinking their soup together, surrounded by a huge an efficient network of support, the hunger strikers emphasized the quality of support they received each day and the climate of affection and solidarity that has buoyed them up during their ordeal.
Updates on the ACIPA website at http://parolesdecampagne.blogspot.fr/
Nantes airport building plans, set back by two years by the hunger strike
May 14, 2012
The hunger strike at Nantes, against the Projet d’ aéroport du Grand Ouest, Notre-Dame-des-Landes, ended last week. Now the legal procedures continue, against compulsory purchase of land from farmers and others living in the site, some 30 km north of Nantes, where the airport would be sited and where work would have soon started. The Mayor of Nantes, Jean-Marc Ayrault, had been a keen supporter of the airport for years. He is still very much in favour of it. There is bitterness that he did not once visit the hunger strike over its 28 days, until pressure was put on him by Francoise Hollande’s office to meet one of the campaign. The planned airport would be the main airport for Western France and have up to 9 million passengers per year eventually (current airport has 3 million passengers).
Click here to view full story…
28 ème jour: fin de la grève…de la raison
En buvant le bouillon de la rupture du jeûne, les grévistes ont souligné la qualité du soutien qu’ils ont reçu chaque jour et le climat d’affection et de solidarité qui a régné en permanence.
Day 28: end of the strike … reason
After hours of dealings between a delegation and Alain Gralepois and chiefs of staff of local authorities (Nantes, council, regional council), an agreement was finally found “no evictions of farmers and residents with an interest in the land as at the date of 09/02/2008 who have not willingly signed bargaining agreement with the expropriating AGO (the great west airport ). ”
Drinking the broth breaking the fast, the strikers have emphasized the quality of support they received each day and the climate of affection and solidarity that has always prevailed.
Nantes / airport: end hunger strike
The hunger strikers who oppose the proposed future airport Nantes of Notre-Dame-des-Landes announced today to end their movement after the announcement by local authorities of an application for suspension of evictions of owners and operators. “We stop our movement to the proposals of the General Council of Loire-Atlantic Regional Council of Pays de la Loire and the mayor of Nantes there is no expulsions by the end of litigation incurred in the May 4, “said a spokesman, Cyril Bouligand.
Michael Tarin, 64, who was on his 28th day of hunger strike and was joined by five other fasters since April 27, explained only not want “to leave this land until we have no assurance of not winning in court.” The strikers were demanding the suspension of expropriations, owners as operators, pending the outcome of several legal proceedings they have filed against the proposed airport.
The airport is due to be built at Notre-Dame-des-Landes, 30 km north of Nantes, by 2017 .This project, approved by the state, is supported by the PS, which dominates the local communities concerned, and by the UMP. It is particularly challenged by Europe Ecology-Greens, the Left Party and the modem, as well as many local associations and the Farmers’ Confederation. The expropriation process of owners and operators located within the concession of 1,600 hectares allocated to the Vinci group began in January 2012.
A bowl of soup to break the fast
With the suspension of evictions, “we did not win that we had hoped to win, the judgment of the cessation of the expropriation process” , Marcel Thébault stressed, however, a farmer who had the hunger strike of 11 to 27 in April. “But the sword of Damocles that required us to leave our land late in 2012 is shifted by a magnitude of two years” , he said
All hunger strikers broke their fast symbolically consuming around a table a bowl of thin soup first. Their tents and caravans parked in a square in the center of Nantes were then removed. http://bit.ly/J1Q2WK
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General and Regional Councils and the city of Nantes, which the deputy mayor is the first cabinet minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (PS), wished, in a common text sent to AFP “there is no expulsion before the end of the appeals filed as of May 4 before the Conseil d’Etat, the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Council. ”
“This declaration applies to farmers and residents of the area of the declaration of public utility, installed in the area before the declaration of public interest (in February 2008, ed), refused to date the mutual agreement”, specify the local authorities in this text.
May 3, lamenting that this airport has become “a matter of fixing”, Francois Hollande, close to Mr. Ayrault, had called for “open discussion and dialogue”.
The airport should be built by 2017 in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, 30 km north of Nantes. This project, approved by the state, is supported by the PS, which dominates the local communities concerned, and by the UMP. It is particularly challenged by Europe Ecology-Greens, the Left Party and the modem, as well as many local associations and the Farmers’ Confederation.
The future airport concession was awarded to Vinci Group in December 2010. The expropriation process owners and operators located within the concession of 1,600 hectares allocated to the group Vinci and refused an amicable agreement began in January 2012.
In French:
Nantes/aéroport: fin de grève de la faim
Les grévistes de la faim qui s’opposent au projet de futur aéroport nantais de Notre-Dame-des-Landes ont annoncé aujourd’hui mettre fin à leur mouvement après l’annonce par les collectivités locales d’une demande de suspension des expulsions des propriétaires et des exploitants. “Nous arrêtons notre mouvement suite aux propositions du conseil général de Loire-Atlantique, du conseil régional des Pays de la Loire et de la mairie de Nantes qu’il n’y pas d’expulsions avant la fin des recours en justice engagés à la date du 4 mai”, a déclaré un porte-parole, Cyril Bouligand.
Michel Tarin, 64 ans, qui en était à son 28e jour de grève de la faim et a été rejoint par cinq autre jeûneurs depuis le 27 avril, a expliqué ne pas vouloir “quitter ces terres tant qu’on n’a pas l’assurance de pas gagner en justice”. Les grévistes demandaient la suspension des expropriations, des propriétaires comme des exploitants, dans l’attente de l’issue de plusieurs recours en justice qu’ils ont déposés contre le projet d’aéroport.
L’aéroport doit être construit d’ici à 2017 à Notre-Dame-des-Landes, à 30 kilomètres au nord de Nantes. Ce projet, validé par l’Etat, est soutenu par le PS, qui domine les collectivités locales concernées, et par l’UMP. Il est contesté notamment par Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, le Parti de Gauche et le Modem, ainsi que par de nombreuses associations locales et la Confédération paysanne. La procédure d’expropriation des propriétaires et des exploitants situés sur la concession de 1.600 hectares attribuée au groupe Vinci a démarré en janvier 2012.
From Le Monde
Moratoire sur l’aéroport de Notre-Dame-des-Landes
9.52012
and
Nantes: fin de la grève de la faim anti-aéroport après la suspension des expulsions
Les grévistes de la faim qui s’opposent au projet de futur aéroport nantais de Notre-Dame-des-Landes ont annoncé mardi mettre fin à leur mouvement après l’annonce que les collectivités locales concernées allaient demander la suspension des expulsions des propriétaires et des exploitants.
“Nous arrêtons notre mouvement suite aux propositions du conseil général de Loire-Atlantique, du conseil régional des Pays de la Loire et de la mairie de Nantes qu’il n’y ait pas d’expulsions avant la fin des recours en justice engagés à la date du 4 mai”, a déclaré un porte-parole du collectif anti-aéroport ACIPA, Cyril Bouligand.
Michel Tarin, 64 ans, qui en était à son 28e jour de grève de la faim et avait été rejoint par cinq autre jeûneurs depuis le 27 avril, a expliqué à la presse ne pas vouloir “quitter ces terres tant qu’on n’a pas l’assurance de ne pas gagner en justice”.
Les grévistes demandaient la suspension des expropriations, des propriétaires comme des exploitants, dans l’attente de l’issue de leurs recours en justice.
Avec la suspension des expulsions, “nous n’avons pas gagné ce que nous comptions gagner, l’arrêt de la procédure d’expropriation”, a de son côté souligné Marcel Thébault, exploitant agricole qui avait fait la grève de la faim du 11 au 27 avril, “mais l’épée de Damoclès qui nous obligeait à quitter nos terres fin 2012 est décalée d’un ordre de grandeur de deux ans”, a-t-il estimé.
Tous les grévistes de la faim ont symboliquement rompu leur jeûne en consommant autour d’une table un premier bol de bouillon alors que leur tente et les caravanes installée dans un square du centre-ville de Nantes étaient démontées.
Les conseils général et régional et la ville de Nantes, dont le député-maire est le premier ministrable Jean-Marc Ayrault (PS), ont souhaité, dans un texte commun transmis à l’AFP “qu’il n’y ait pas d’expulsion avant la fin des recours déposés à la date du 4 mai devant le Conseil d’Etat, la Cour de cassation et le conseil constitutionnel”.
“Cette déclaration concerne les exploitants agricoles et les habitants de la zone de la déclaration d’utilité publique, installés sur la zone avant la déclaration d’utilité publique (en février 2008, ndlr), ayant refusé à ce jour les procédures amiables”, précisent les collectivités locales dans ce texte.
Le 3 mai, déplorant que cet aéroport soit devenu “un sujet de fixation”, François Hollande, proche de M. Ayrault, avait lancé un appel à “ouvrir une discussion et une concertation”.
L’aéroport doit être construit d’ici à 2017 à Notre-Dame-des-Landes, à 30 km au nord de Nantes. Ce projet, validé par l’Etat, est soutenu par le PS, qui domine les collectivités locales concernées, et par l’UMP. Il est contesté notamment par Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, le Parti de Gauche et le MoDem, ainsi que par de nombreuses associations locales et la Confédération paysanne.
La concession du futur aéroport a été attribuée au groupe Vinci en décembre 2010. La procédure d’expropriation des propriétaires et des exploitants situés sur la concession de 1.600 hectares attribuée au groupe Vinci et ayant refusé un accord amiable a démarré en janvier 2012.
Earlier:
May 8th. The 28th day of the Nantes airport hunger strike – 5 hunger strikers are still continuing.
May 7th, 2012
There are now 5 hunger strikers. Michel (aged 64) is on his 28th day of hunger strike, and one person has recently had to give up, on health grounds
Details each day and updates on the ACIPA website
On 3rd May the campaigners against the proposed airport outside Nantes in South West France occupied the centre of Nantes with a convoy of tractors and 1,000 people – and 15 young cows. They are supporting the peasant farmers whose land would be compulsorily purchased for the new airport, and who have nearly completed their 4th week of a hunger strike. They are relieved that Hollande has won the Presidency. The campaigners had earlier forced Hollande, who has supported Nantes Airport, to agree it will not go ahead until all the legal cases have been heard. Sarkozy had just said the area is just a wasteland without the airport! The protesters see that as an insult to the beautiful farming area and especially to the farmers on hunger strike. The 5 hunger strikers are getting weaker, and finding the exhaustion more difficult. They are brave people. Click here to view full story…
and
Nantes airport protest: 20th day of the hunger strike against the airport plan; still 4 hunger strikers, though two have had to end on health grounds
April 28, 2012 On the 15th day of the Nantes airport hunger strike, one of the farmers had lost 11 kilos and the other 12 kilos. Marcel (on the right) had to give up on Day 17, but he has been replaced by a lady called Marie. Francoise had to give up, but was replaced by Severine. They are determined to continue. There are updates athttp://parolesdecampagne.blogspot.fr/ They have also been visited by José Bové, the famous campaigner and now an MEP, who will keep them company overnight. He says the
presidential contenders, Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, must end their silence on the airport protest now the hunger strike is entering its 3rd week. They can no longer ignore it and they need to find a way to suspend the compulsory purchase of land and resume talks. Bové says the politicians have all the means they need to find a way out without losing face. Click here to view full story…
23rd day of the Nantes airport hunger strike, and protest demonstration of around 1,000 in the town. 6 hunger strikers
May 3, 2012
There are now 6 hunger strikers. Michel is on his 23rd day
The campaigners against the proposed airport outside Nantes in South West France have today occupied the centre of Nantes with a convoy of tractors and 1,000 people – and 15 young cows. They are supporting the peasant farmers who have moved into their 4th week of a hunger strike and are making their voices heard before Sunday’s Presidential Election. Already the campaigners have forced Hollande, who has supported Nantes Airport, to agree it will not go ahead until all the legal cases have been heard but Sarkozy, when questioned, said the area is just a wasteland without the airport! That is an insult to the beautiful farming area and especially to the farmers on hunger strike. Click here to view full story…
and more at Nantes Airport News