France, Alternative Libertaire AL #249 - Isere upheaval to
Chambarans (fr, it, pt) [machine translation]
Against a resort project in Chambarans forest near Grenoble, resistance was organized
between legal attack against the face of politicians and unscrupulous bosses and advent of
Zad and support committees to it. ---- Near Grenoble, the communal forest Chambarans is
threatened by a tourism infrastructure project. The company Pierre et Vacances intends to
destroy 120 hectares of forest on the small town of Roybon in order to build a Center
Parcs. Former hotbed of resistance, it is also a massive reservoir of biodiversity and
plays an essential role in the aquifers feeding the region. Faced with strong opposition
from the public presentation of the project in 2007, Pierre et Vacances, with the
complicity of local officials overrode any consultation.
37.4 million euros of direct aid
A Center Parcs, it's a holiday camp on a site "attractive" equipped with the necessary
infrastructure to its total autarky. The Pierre et Vacances group built a bungalow park
that sells to individuals. The site Chambarans is classified as wetland and biodiversity
reservoir. The massive Roybonnais which will be located on Center Parcs supplies water to
the area. Or for a daily consumption of 846 m3 of water for the region, attraction alone
consume more than 880 m3 of water every day not to mention the thirty-four species
protected sacrificed.
The project was of course to "create jobs." As such, it is more than 37.4 million euros in
direct aid payments to Pierre et Vacances by the General Council of Isere, neighboring
communities and the region. Delusional figure when you consider that the Roybon community
of communes (1 300 inhabitants) disbursed from his pocket more than EUR 7 million which
has propelled him to joint 44th most indebted France. This figure is far reflect the
extent of the employer heist: add negotiating down the price of the land by the government
(sold per square meter to 30 cents instead of 18) the various tax exemptions to "encourage
investment", not to mention public works needed to make the site viable and accessible...
Total: around EUR 120 million.
And jobs? Project promoting platelet distributed to the entire population were talking
about 1700 jobs, and that figure dropped to 800 from the beginning of the work... In early
January 2015, it hovered around 700, including 400 part-time. Pierre et Vacances, no
problem, since according to its president "these salaries will be complemented by an RSA
activity"... Finally, a hypermarket is provided on the website of the Center Parcs,
condemning local businesses. Far from "saving the local economy ', Center Parcs will
instead record the death of what was left of the country roybonnais economy. Clearly, the
Pierre & Vacances Group is competition between the various public investors and validates
the project where subsidies are the most important. For politicians it is primarily to
take advantage of the completion of a major project...
From the very beginning of the project, residents and inhabitants were structured
association, determined to block the project. The PCSCP Association (For without
Chambarans Center Parcs), bringing together some activists, and ARSH, a Christian
organization, leading the fight in the courts and undertake to refute propaganda by Pierre
et Vacances presses records and meetings public.
Suspensive stop work
Legal loopholes project are indeed numerous: water law that prohibits any construction on
wetlands has not been applied as well as the national commission to study all public
investment project exceeding 800 000 was ignored, and with the active participation of the
Isère Prefecture. In the same vein, the former mayor of Roybon contracted a loan of EUR 7
million to finance the project before it is validated... The appeals filed in court by the
various associations and will arrive in December 2014 suspensive stop work until a final
judgment of the Administrative Court in June 2015.
Cabins and barricades
These legal initiatives would have no effect, however, if they had been accompanied by
physical occupation of the site became the Zad Chambarans, composed mainly of young people
from Grenoble anti-capitalist circles. The zadistes cabins and quickly build barricades
and contribute to media coverage of the conflict. December 6, 2014, a protest march was
organized on the site and gather a thousand participants. On February 7, 2015 in the
winter is over 300 people moving three whole days to assist in building constructions.
Support committees quickly popping in nearby towns and undertake a public information work
and material support for the Zad.
Faced with a national media increasingly critical, obvious loopholes and increasing
support for the Zad, pro-Center Parcs are quick to use violence against opponents. On 7
December a demonstration organized by the elected PS / UMP / FN brings together a thousand
people for the "right to work". In early February, things take a more ominous turn:
opponents assault vehicles burned, residents urged to hang banners in support of Center
Parcs in their windows and stuff in the complacent silence of the local media and police
inaction.
This project of Center Parcs is a great need to bleed project funded in accordance with
the principle of "socialization of losses / privatization of profits" , destructive of the
environment and aimed solely at vampirize a region without any long-term projection with
the state complicity.
The movement has to overcome the actual split between young militant forces and urban
working classes and relegated to the periphery of cities, subject to blackmail to
employment, exposed to the propaganda of reactionary forces working hand in hand with
business... Fort its diversity, it must succeed in transforming this war of clans in a
class war against capital and assumed his henchmen, one configuration can transform this
struggle policy proposals.
Libertarian Alternative Grenoble
Read more:
zadroybon.wordpress.com/
www.pcscp.org/
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Isere-Chambardement-aux-Chambarans
