Sunday, 9th june 2013 in Bristol (GB)

Kebele, 14 robertson Rd, Easton, Bristol

6:30pm: Dinner cooked by SWAN (South West Against Nuclear) crew

7:30pm: Screening of High Voltage power lines, G(et) RID of it!

The film gives a story of grass root resistance to the power lines built to connect the French EPR in Flamanville to the European electricity market. It is a good start to discuss and share hints of how we try to oppose EDF and the energy business on both side of the Channel (someone involved with resistance to the power lines will be there) while EDF plan to build 2 more EPR at Hinckley power station. It is also an opportunity to talk about other resistances to all those schemes which work at disempowering ourselves (power stations, high speed trains, roads, etc).

For several months, repression against those involved in the fight against High Voltage power lines (THT) in Cotentin-Maine has increased dramatically. These high voltage power lines, imposed on local people, are dangerous for the health and only serve the private interests linked to the nuclear industry. This struggle took off early in the project, and saw further acceleration after blocking the CASTOR nuclear waste train, when work started for the lines in November 2011.

It then developed, particularly in Le Chefresne, village of the county of la Manche affected by the THT line and opposed to the project, both on the part of the town hall and the local population against the THT line and for the immediate stopping of nuclear power. Once the general assembly of le Chefresne set up, many public actions were organised (removing nuts and bolts from pylons, occupying sites, etc.), to halt construction sites of the project conducted by RTE (Réseau de Transport de l’Electricité, a subsidiary of EDF ). The nuclearised French State, walking hand in hand with RTE, has decided once again to use repression to halt the struggle, arresting activists, convoking others, and by putting people on trial.

Most recently, a weekend against the THT lines was organised near Chefresne, from 22nd to 24th June to organise debates and to think especially about the anti-nuclear movement, ending with a public action against THT lines. But 600 policemen awaited the 500 participants, whose orders were to injure people (25 injured) more than to intervene (one person was arrested and will be in court in August).

The state and RTE prefer and try to suppress and stifle a legitimate dispute. (Police) Forces under the command of RTE are looking for the slightest pretext. Thus, 2nd June 2012 in Saint Pierre des Landes (53), after wounding an activist, they took the opportunity to sue him on the grounds of violently resisting arrest. In the same place, someone is accused of having driven his vehicle too close to a policewoman while parking it… An offence so obvious that he was arrested six days after the event, once RTE, the prefet and the police were also sued… Finally, preferring to harm rather than arrest people on 24 June, the authorities are trying to blame the only person available to them with the spraining of a finger and bruises to the hands of two “injured” policemen, although he does not match the description of the person drawn up by them. Several court cases are pending (one has already taken place).

Each time we call for a support rally in front of the court.

AGENDA AGAINST REPRESSION

6th August 2012: 2pm, Court of Coutances
Trial of the activistd arrested in Montabot, 24th June.

21st August: Court of Coutances, the verdict of the trial held on 19th June

23rd August : 2pm, Court of Laval
Trial of militant wounded and then arrested on 2nd June, in Saint Pierre des Landes.

23rd November : 9am Cnd ourt of Laval
Trial of activist arrested 10th July after an action dating back to 4th July

9th October : Trial of three people in Cherbourg
following actions near Valognes on 23rd November 2011.

To help and / or participate:

 Come to the rallies and actions …

 Donate by cheque (write THT on the back of the cheque)
to the Association for Solidarity and the Legal Aid:
Association Pour la Solidarité et l’Aide Juridique
APSAJ, 6 cours des Alliés, 35000 Rennes, France.

Contact anti-repression of the anti-THT: +33 (0)7.53.36.62.48 or antirep-tht at riseup dot net

More information on stop-tht.org and antitht.noblogs.org

AGENDA ANTI-THT

1st and 2nd Sept. 2012: General Meeting at Le Chefresne, in the (occupied) wood of la Bévinière.

29th Sept. : anti-nuclear and anti-THT rally in Avranches

RTE (Réseau de Transport de l’Electricité, a subsidiary of EDF) told us through their lawyer, as part of a case brought to the attention of a judge in the court of Coutances, that:
– Work related to the court of Coutances for RTE represents a cost for the day, in case of late delivery, up to 1 million euros.
– When the construction site of one of the pylons of the line is stopped, there are several dozen workers who must stop working.
– The cost of losing a day’s work on a job site (companies on the construction site are paid despite the blocking of the site) is estimated between €15 000 and €20 000 (not including any eventual penalties if the work was to be finished later than scheduled).

Similarly RTE has listed for us the hiccups they have faced:

– September 25, 2010 nuts and bolts were removed from pylon number 158 in Isigny-le-Buat (50)

– On January 8, 2011 there was a demonstration and occupation on the site of TAUTE in Raids (50)

– April 23, 2011 there was an occupation on the site in Taute in the commune of Raids (50) and nuts and bolts were removed in the local vicinity

– November 5, 2011 there was an occupation of a property acquired by RTE on the path of the line in Notre-Dame de Cenilly (50)

– January 15, 2012 there was deterioration of a drilling machine located on the site of pylon 161 in Notre-Dame de Cenilly (50).

– January 26, 2012 were held demonstrations intended to prevent the execution of works on pylons 122 L and C, 123 L and C, 124 L and C in Hauteville-la-Guichard (50).

– January 31, 2012 nuts and bolts were removed from pylon 438 located in Montaudin (53).

– February 1, 2012 there was degradation of a drilling machine on the site of pylon 254 located in Saint-Maur des Bois (50).

– February 1, 2012 there was degradation of a drilling machine on the site of pylon 310 located in Cuves (50)

– February 10, 2012 nuts and bolts were removed on pylons 159 C and 157 C located on in Notre-Dame de Cenilly.

– February 12, 2012 nuts and bolts were removed from pylon 209 located in Maupertuis (50)

– February 20, 2012 there was degradation of a small excavator belonging to the company LOXAM on the site of a pylon in the district of Mayenne (53)

– February 23, 2012 there was a degradation of pylon 332 in Le Mesnil Rainfray (50).

– February 23, 2012 Also, many people damaged the vehicle of Pierre Alain Jacob, in charge of coordination for RTE and death threats were made against him on the site of pylon No. 577 in Beaulieu-sur-Oudon (53 ).

– February 29, 2012, on the sidelines of an event scheduled at Cerisy-la-Salle (a THT walk ), a group of people came between 9 am and 10:30 to block the entrance to depot of a building site in Cametours (50) .

– March 5, 2012, a group of a dozen people opposed to pruning necessary for the implementation of the future pylon No. P537 tower in Erbrée (35).

– March 6, 2012, 50 signs were stolen or damaged on the path of the THT line in Fougerolles du Plessis and Saint-Berthevin la Tannière (53)

– March 11, 2012, a lot of damage occurred on pylon 447 located on the town of Larchamp (53) and on pylons 249 and 250 located in the commune of Saint-Aubin des Bois (14).

– March 11, 2012 also damage occurred on pylon 448 located in the commune of Larchamp (53).

– March 12, 2012, damage occurred on machines working on pylon No. 203 situated in Le Guislain (50).

– March 14, 2012, degradations were again committed to pylon 577 located in Beaulieu sur Oudon (53).

– March 18, 2012, nuts and bolts were removed on the site of pylon 118 in Saint-Martin d’Aubigny (50).

– March 19, 2012, an opposition demonstration to the work took place on the site of the pylon No. 220 in Montabot (50).

– March 19, 2012, manure was spread on a hundred square meters of the site where the pylon No. 223 on should be built in Montabot (50).

– March 20, 2012 degradation of two construction vehicles (screwdrivers) on the pylon No. 220 in Montabot (50).

– March 22, 2012 a demonstration took place on the site of pylon No. 132 in Le Lorey (50).

– March 29, 2012 opposition took place to pruning at the site of pylon No. 223 in Montabot (50).

– March 30, 2012 copper was stolen from the MCCF site located in Bourgneuf (53).

– March 30, 2012 damage was also done to pylon No. 369 in the district of the Le Teilleul gendarmerie (50).

– March 30, 2012 opposition to work on the site of pylon No. 114 in the commune of Saint-Martin d’Aubigny (50).

– March 30, 2012 opposition to work on the site of pylon No. 222 in Montabot (50).

– April 13, 2012 nuts and bolts were removed from pylon No. 566 in Saint-Cyr le Gravelais (53)

– April 17, 2012 there was damage and nuts and bolts were removed from pylon No. 137 situated in Cametours (50).

– April 20, 2012 there was damage to material on the site of pylon 234 in Montbray (50).

– April 20, 2012 there was damage and theft from the building site depot of Chapelle Janson (35).

– April 24, 2012 there was damage to four bases at the site of pylon No. 15O in Dangy (50).

– April 25, 2012 there was damage to the base on the pylon No. 153 in Dangy (50).

– April 25, 2012 there was damage (nuts anf bolts removed, bases were twisted) on the pylon No. 155 in the commune of Notre-Dame de Cenilly (50).

– April 25, 2012 there was damage to the base of pylon 119 in Feugère (50).

– April 25, 2012 there was a blockade on the depot of the site located in Fleury (50).

– April 25, 2012 there was a protest at the depot of the site located in the Chapelle Janson (35).

– April 25, 2012 there was damage to the base of the pylon No. 202 in Le Guislain (50).

– April 25, 2012 dammage to pylon No. 369 in Lapenty (50).

– April 25, 2012 there was opposition to work on pylon No. 543 in Bréal-sous-Vitré (35).

– April 28, 2012 there was a demonstration and damage to pylons 560 and 561 in Saint-Cyr le Gravelais (53).

– April 28, 2012 there was damage to pylon 566 towers in Saint-cyr the Gravelais (53).

– May 2, 2012 there was damage to the road protections in the area of pylons 133-134 in Le Lorey (50).

– May 4, 2012 material was stolen from pylon 378 at La Ferrière (50).

– May 5, 2012 there was a blockade to the access of pylon 544 by the planting of trees in Bréal sous Vitré (35).

– May 6, 2012 there was an occupation and damage to a building owned by RTE in Notre Dame de Cenilly (50).

– May 7, 2012 damage to three bases on the pylon 202 at Le Guislain (50).

– May 7, 2012 damage to a crane on pylon 406 in the commune of Fougerolles du Plessis (53).

– May 10, 2012 damage and theft on the drill tower of pylon No. 107 in Saint-Martin d’Aubigny (50).

– May 11, 2012 destruction of 10 cases of insulator on the pylon 147L in Carantilly (50).

– May 11, 2012 damage to a crane on pylon 205 in the commune of Le Guislain (50).

– May 14, 2012 there was opposition to work on the pylon 385 in Heusse (50).

– May 15, 2012 damage to pylon No. 147L in Carantilly (50).

– May 15,2012 damage to pylon No. 305 in St Laurent de Cuves (50).

– May 16, 2012 there was opposition to work on pylons 470 and 471 in Ernée (35).

– May 17, 2012 there was damage to a machine at pylon 532 in the commune of Bourgon (53).

– May 20, 2012  there was damage to the drill tower at pylon 385 in Heussé (50).

– May 21, 2012 damage to Pylon 155L in Notre Dame de Cenilly (50).

– May 30, 2012 damage to pylon 511 in the commune of Juvigné (53).

– May 31, 2012 there was damage in the commune of Le Lorey (50).

The list ended on May 31. We look forward with impatience to the list of blows to the line Cotentin-Maine and elsewhere throughout the summer months, no pylons are safe.

We thank RTE for continuing to encourage us to disturb sites, informing us of the reality of the impact of our actions.

Similarly, we can not thank EDF enough for giving us the call-out for action against the pylons in 1983 (Lefevre report of 13 April 1983 – Department counter-operations-management studies for the service networks EDF):

"When the activists who today are focused on nuclear turn there attention to the THT lines, the situation risks to be serious because although we can protect nuclear power stations with barbed wire fences and riot cops, this is not the case for the pylons."

Extract from a confidential EDF report in 1983