While the three “squirrels” came down from the trees of Crem’arbre, two other opponents of the A69 decided to replace them to everyone’s surprise. And to sow confusion while the cutting of trees is stopped until September 1.
“What are they doing, why did they come?” The Prefect Michel Vilbois was not the only one to make this request on Sunday afternoon at the Zad de la Crem’arbre, in Saïx. As announced, three “squirrels” opposite the A69 have fallen from the trees they have been defending for 40 days, after having obtained their protection until the 1st.er September.
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Autostrada A69: the reasons for the surprise descent of the last “squirrels” on the ZAD de la Crem’arbre
But to everyone’s surprise, at the moment when they were hailed as heroes by the crowd of activists who came to embrace them, a man dressed as a squirrel climbed a tree without protection, then a woman in another, this time using a rope. On site, the few supporters had difficulty masking their stunned looks. Immediately, Thomas Brail, somewhat embarrassed by the unexpected nature of the initiative, came to tell the negotiators that the two climbers were not members of the GNSA (National Tree Surveillance Group).
What he confirmed to us this morning on the phone: “These are people from the Zad, who do not know, and who came taking advantage of a moment when the police were relaxing.”
The latter tried to stop the rope opponent, without success. She would have already climbed the trees in the last few weeks, before going down on her own.
On this sudden escalation, Michel Costadau, for the Voie est libre and the Confédération paysanne, recognizes a “misunderstanding”, which “sowed the confusion”: “We did not anticipate it at all”. On the motivations of the two “squirrels”, the farmer has his own idea: “Some activists do not have complete trust in the authorities and have decided to occupy the trees until March 31. This is occurred spontaneously with the aim of protecting the timber trees”.
Installed until when?
Contacted during the day, a ZAD activist continues: “The ZAD always says to be unpredictable and does not intend to necessarily respect the decisions of the prefecture and trust the justice system. When we see that NGE / Atosca, in any place on the road, obstructs environmental law, there is only one thing that can ensure that the trees are not cut: that is to stay there. This plot has a symbolic meaning in terms of occupation and snub to the repressive system” . However, the prefect recalled on site Sunday the commitment that no tree will be affected by the 1er September.
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REPLAY. Autostrada A69: the intervention to evict the activists perched in the trees of the Zad de Saïx could last several days
Nearby residents say they are ‘used’
The members of the GNSA tried to make the new “squirrels” listen to reason, in vain. The gendarmerie then notified them of their illegal presence on private land and maintained a surveillance system, much to the dismay of Carlarié’s few neighbors, who told us again how bad the situation was.
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Autostrada A69: night of tension between security agents and opponents of the project around the ZAD of Cal’Arbre
Those who thought they would find a quiet and peaceful life, must always show their credentials to the police to access their homes from the Chemin de la Crémade. For its part, Atosca points out once again that the weekend’s developments will have no “impact on the planning and commissioning planned for the end of 2025” of the A69.