We’ve decided to protect a forrested hill from the expansion of LafargeHolcim’s mine by physically occupying the threatened place. The company, which has already destroyed half of the hill and its ecosystem in addition of causing he expropriation of many farmers, wishes now to erase all of biodiversity’s treasures around…or at least, it really seems to. We refuse to let companies such as LafargeHolcim the possibility to destroy entire ecosystems and land areas. We reclaim the interruption of the mine’s extension project over the Birette zone and in the global circumstances, ask for the court to do it’s job of allowing us a livabale future, which must involve more sustainable ways of building and manufacturing in general. We want LafargeHolcim to stop expanding the mine.
As we’re facing investors, business owners, tech-utopists and crazy continuous growth-dreamers ready to steal our ressources and our earth until its end ; we fight in order to preserve life, we fight against their uniterrupted destruction. Because of the difficulties to win through legal institutional action, because of the power of private companies and as we can only contemplate the lack of laws protecting the nature and its diversity ; we occupy the space. We live in a time where youth gets informed, takes action and can’t accept any more inactivity when in comes to droughts, hurricanes, famines or concrete eroding our lands a bit more each day. We build our future ourselves, in ways which are respectful of the planet. We fight for our future and will occupy the ground until our demands for the environnement and for our future are heard. We fight for life, for the water, for the earth ; for the beauty of our landscapes, for our nurturing soils ; for the last bits of preserved land to outlast the sick rush for profit. We will fight as long as the power owners won’t stop the destruction of our last ressources left.
Why a « ZAD » ? « Zones to Defend » are collective, inclusive and experimental ways of defending ecosystems which allow us to live. Our ZAD is not only a battle ground ; it is also a Zone to Describe. By this we mean a living place, where it gets possible to experience new ways to resist and fight, but also new ways of living together, of sharing solidarity and strength.
The Birette could be… a living place, a place to share and pass on knowledge about local biodiversity. Its soil could be cultivated and provide local healthy food, if given back to the farmers of the area instead of being exploited by an already multi-billionaire company. It could be a place of respect and protection of the wildlife and flora. These are all the things the Birette should be.
Friends of the hill, citizens, visitors, activists, journalists, politicians and nature lovers ; help us to denounce the perpetrators of the ecocide going on and stop this destructive mine project. Such activities will only bring us to more industrialisation, inequality, pollution and precipitate the death of the earth. Join us, come visit us, bring food and blankets, write to us, share the story of this fight or support us in any ways you can, from wherever you are.