Editorial photo #11580420 Social Issue
The Last ZAD (Zone To Defend), The 'Verger' On The Planned A69 Highway
Gendarmes stand guard near the 'Verger' ZAD. The banner reads 'A69, the highway stops there'. After months of negotiations and pressures from NGE/Atosca, two incendiary attacks occur. Alexandra, the tenant of the 'Verger', decides to leave her house after concluding an arrangement with ATOSCA. Alexandra thanks every zadiste (i.e., development protester) who stays there until her departure, calling them 'heroes'. Immediately, Atosca begins the destruction work of the house and the cutting of all the trees. 'Zadistes' try to resist the Gendarmerie in the house without success. 'Ecureuils' (i.e., 'squirrels') live in the trees of the 'Verger' ZAD (Zone to Defend). The driver of the excavator is admonished by the Gendarmerie for his dangerous behavior with the excavator, putting human lives in danger. The main collective 'La Voie est Libre' (i.e., 'The Way is Free') wants the highway to be stopped until all the judicial decisions on the content are given. All expropriations for farmers are not cleared. Opponents of this project say that the reprofiling of the N126 will be sufficient for the 6,000 vehicles planned per day and would cost far less money. The A69 highway will cost EUR512 million (in 2018 euros without inflation) for 53 kilometers. More than 100 protected species and 400 hectares of agricultural fields will be destroyed. This takes place in Verfeil, France, on September 16, 2024. (Photo by Alain Pitton/NurPhoto)
