Villefranche-sur-Saône and Lyon (Rhône), report
The streets of Villefranche-sur-Saône had never known this. On Saturday March 5, hundreds of people dressed in white overalls invaded the city to attack the Bayer-Monsanto group, and more precisely its Limas plant. A 28 hectare site classified Seveso high threshold which is « one of the largest in the world for the formulation of Bayer CropScience products ». In short: it is here that the pesticides of the agro-industrial giant are produced.
« We came to denounce these pesticides and all this shit that is put in the ground », explains Christian Fouilleret, member of the Voluntary Reapers, co-organizers of the Uprisings of the Earth with Youth for Climate, Extinction Rebellion and others. This action was to be the culmination of a campaign against agrochemicals and particularly the Bayer-Monsanto group.
- The stream of activists rushes into a tunnel under the rails of Villefranche-sur-Saône station. © Laury-Anne Cholez/Reporterre
It was not yet 10 am when behind the town hall, the demonstrators gathered in small affinity groups. The instructions were contradictory, some even spoke of canceling the action because of the police already in front of the factory. Suddenly, the starting signal was launched. Everyone took a white jumpsuit out of their backpack, put it on quickly, adjusted their mask and sunglasses. The activists then transformed into a white, indistinct and anonymous mass which surged like a wave towards the pesticide factory, shouting: « Bayer clears, resistance and sabotage » or « Everybody hates pesticides ».
While shouting, activists ran through the streets, shouting at each other with code names like « chiffon », « Chickpea », « Sioux », « kitten », in order to avoid losing his companions in this indistinct mass of white suits. Taken aback, the inhabitants looked at them from their windows. « What’s going on ? » asked a local resident. « This is a protest against Bayer-Monsanto »he was told. « Oh ok. But who is that? ? »
- © Laury-Anne Cholez/Reporterre
In front of the entrance to the factory, the police presence remained modest in view of the number of activists: between 200 and 300 people according to the organizers. Several groups jumped on the fence, managing to overthrow it. But all of them backtracked, repelled by tear gas from the police.
Other attempts resulted in new bursts of tear gas, drowning the procession in a great fog and giving the white silhouettes a ghostly air. Following these clashes, seventeen people were taken into custody.
- Activists succeeded in destroying the fence in front of the Bayer-Monsanto factory. © Laury-Anne Cholez/Reporterre
« We succeeded in our mission »
The official aim of the action was to invade the factory to put it out of harm’s way. An objective partially achieved: production had been stopped before the event by Bayer-Monsanto « with the aim of guaranteeing the absolute priority of the safety of our employees »Constance Tuffet, in charge of communication for Bayer France, told the newspaper. Progress.
Earlier in the morning, volunteer Reapers had been sent out to scout out the site, so that the rest of the troops could enter through the other entrances. Visually speaking, everything contrasted them with the young militants in white jumpsuits. Their gray hair, their unmasked faces, their iconic t-shirts « GMOs no, for the common good I resist ». But basically, the same desire brought them together: to denounce the ravages of agro-industry on human beings and their environment.
- The volunteer Reapers were present to block the Bayer-Monsanto factory. © Laury-Anne Cholez/Reporterre
In the end, this mobilization is a fine example of generational collaboration, with respect for the tactics and levels of radicalism of each. « The strength of the Earth Uprisings is to be able to organize action campaigns by bringing together groups that have a different political culture, beyond age. These compositions give rise to actions that are more relevant and less predictable than the climate movement. We find a space to do more ambitious things by feeding on each other’s ideas »explains Léna, an activist of the Earth Uprisings.
Christian Fouilleret, member of the Faucheurs, is also delighted with this dynamic. « The Reapers have always done drastic actions. Yesterday [vendredi 4 mars] for example, we blocked the site of the factory BASF. But today, our role was to create a diversion. And we succeeded in our mission. We are going to leave to organize the demonstration this afternoon. »
In the city center, 1,500 demonstrators against Monsanto
They were nearly 1,500 activists present in the afternoon at Place Valmy, in the 9ᵉ arrondissement of Lyon, to besiege the headquarters of Bayer, rue Jean-Marie Leclair. Without success: the deployed police force could not allow access to the targeted site.
Pragmatically, the Confédération paysanne negotiated with the prefecture of the Rhône a route of demonstration avoiding the seat of the biochemist. « We don’t want our peasants to end up at the post, they have to work tomorrow »slips the organization.
- Christelle, representative of the Confédération paysanne. © Moran Kerinec/Reporterre
The show of force was above all an opportunity to harmonize the convergence of ecological struggles between the different components of the Uprisings: Extinction Rebellion, Friends of the Peasant Confederation, Voluntary Reapers, Bassines Non Merci, Youth for Climate, Collectif Vietnam-Dioxine , etc Collectives from different backgrounds, but with the same aspirations: « Unite peasant and environmental forces against the deadly agro-industrial model represented by Bayer-Monsanto »explains Benoît, of Extinction Rebellion.
Voluntary reaper from Toulouse, Fernand develops: « We often make convergences with ANV–COP21. The last time, we occupied the premises of the FNSEA together. It works locally, we would like it to be the case at the national level. » Active in the fight against GMOs since 2003, the old reaper has had an appreciative eye on the younger generations whom he supported that very morning on the Bayer-Monsanto site: « Young people have a lively and active reaction to fight against this model, and that makes me happy. ! »
- Demonstration clown present on Saturday March 5 in Lyon. © Moran Kerinec/Reporterre
In the procession, the intergenerational atmosphere was friendly. « Yes to free-range chickens, no to police repression ! » chanted the leading procession, where peasants and anti-capitalist activists mixed. For a moment, the tension mounted. At the fork of the Georges Clemenceau bridge, a few dozen participants from the Black bloc wanted to break through the police blockade that framed the demonstration. Will go, won’t go ? The clowns of the demonstration spun in contact with the police to buffer. Conquered by the Friends of the Confederation, the demonstration left without clashes. The tension remained.
- The procession of the demonstration, including the Friends of the Peasant Confederation, on March 5 in Lyon. © Moran Kerinec/Reporterre
Discordant voices regretted not having been able to lead the siege of the pharmaceutical giant. « How to take us seriously if we don’t keep our word ? » annoyed Camille, anti-capitalist activist. Decision was made: as soon as the demonstration returned to Place Valmy, the most motivated would lead an assault against the Monsanto site. The team quickly became disillusioned. The square was surrounded by the companies of CRSand the deployment of a water cannon ensured that the offensive did not last long.
- A demonstrator of the Peasant Confederation. © Moran Kerinec/Reporterre
As a last stand, participants in the Black bloc took down the French, European and Lyon flags from the pediment of the adjacent town hall in the 9ᵉ arrondissement, flying the Europe Écologie-Les Verts flag (EELV), before setting it on fire. An act « inadmissible » sentenced « firmly » over there green municipality. The mayor EELV from Lyon Gregory Doucet has, him, pointed « intolerable damage » and pointed out that « the living must be defended in non-violence ». A few hundred yards away, the Bayer-Monsanto headquarters still stood immaculate. For the big move, you will have to iron.