9 years ago a quarry project started in the Var (south of France). After several years of opposition by the local population, a lot of capitalist interests and political shenanigans of all kinds, the construction permit for Provence Granular, belonging to the construction giant Audemard, was granted in 2020.
This exploitation of nature for the profit of the ever growing construction industry is deeply problematic : located in the center of a Natura 2000 protected area it is going to destroy Mazaugues’ biodiversity of flora and fauna, poison ground water that 800’000 people and animals are drinking, kill numerous protected species of bats, insects and lizards that are vital for the local eco system and all the others consequences that such a project entails.
But not just the secondary effects of this ecocide put human and animal life alike in danger, the construction and preparation for the gravel extraction are an immediate threat to human safety and health right now !
In order to stop and attract attention towards this destructive project, about a dozen people have decided to occupy some ancient mineshafts underground and declare la ZAD de Mazaugues on the 28th of May. Putting their own lives in mortal danger this action was supposed to stop Provence Granular from using explosives and working near the shafts, which could cause the mine to collaps and thereby entrap and kill the people underground.
Unfortunately, expecting regard for human life from a Corporation such as Audemard was expecting too much. Not only has the construction continued, but on the 10th of June a large boulder was placed on the entrance of the mine, cutting the activists underground off from contact with the outside world. Since then the police have been harassing our friends, forcing them to retreat deeper into the mine and surveilling the mine aboveground, making it impossible for us to supply them with the necessities for survival. For about five weeks now they have been without daylight, surviving on insects and sulfuric water which can be found underground.
Furthermore the attempts to go public through french media and raise awareness about our struggle and the inhumane conditions our friends live under, have all failed, as the French press has refused to report on this situation since the boulder has been placed on the entrance of the mine.
So we have decided to go international ; We need your help, come and join us in Mazaugues, inform about our fight on social media, make protests in solidarity with our friends underground, etc. be creative !
Sources :
La relève de la peste, Dans le Var, la première ZAD souterraine de France est née. 17 juin 2021, Augustin Langlade.
Arkros, Tout savoir sur la lutte contre la carrière de Mazaugues, et comment nous rejoindre. 28 juin 2021, Xhatz.
On Facebook ; Discussion de la ZAD de Mazaugues
Further information regarding our struggle can be found here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uLiTZdqKUY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuawKx5dYfI
t.me/joinchat/SpvknvEaI4dkB2Vn