Sunday evening, the eleventh of December, somewhere in France: Somewhere in France? No, not anywhere, somewhere between Paris and Fessenheim. There, several people climbed to the top of a 400,000-volt electricity pylon. They have not come to admire the view, no, they have a clear intention: they want to „continue the struggles for which our comrades are behind bars“, because this is „the most passionate form of revolutionary solidarity“. What does this mean? Quite simply, they set about unscrewing the bolts that held the colossus in place. „The mast is still standing, but its statics are clearly compromised. May our revolutionary fury work in alliance with nature and a winter storm do the rest!“ The power line in question will supply electricity to the CIGÉO industrial project. CIGÉO? Centre industriel de stockage géologique pour les déchets HA et MA-VL, in English: reversible geological repository for radioactive waste in the departments of Meuse and Haute-Marne. In Bure. From 2025, nuclear waste will be stored there in a system of tunnels covering an area of 30 square kilometres. And it will remain there for the next 100,000 years. Until now, France has only two sites for storing low and intermediate level radioactive waste; the rest of the contaminated waste from France‘s 56 nuclear power plants is stored at the La Hague reprocessing plant. Right next to the Bure repository, RTE, the grid operator, is planning a transformer station the size of 20 football pitches to satisfy the „energy hunger of the nuclear monster“. All right, sabotage then. In solidarity with whom? With Alfredo Cospito, who has been on hunger strike until the 19.04.2023. Let‘s hear from the saboteurs themselves: „Alfredo has always known how to link the question of social revolution with the question of ecology, and through his words and actions to link the ecocidal plundering of our planet with the struggle against the powers that be, against exploitation and oppression. In his statement on the shooting of Italian nuclear industry leader Roberto Adinolfi (ansaldo nucleare; 2012), and later in various court statements, he described the need to anchor a revolutionary perspective in the anti-nuclear movement. In a valuable contribution to the debate, he also commented in 2018 on the struggle against the CIGÉO nuclear waste storage project in the French village of Bure in the Meuse department. Referring to the idea of the diversity of tactics practised there, he proposed „an intensification of the forms of struggle chosen there“.

Aha, an intensification of forms of struggle…

A week later, another industrial monster was confronted with an intensification of the struggle. But let‘s start at the beginning: on 18. December, the pre-Christmas calm of Advent in the south of France was abruptly interrupted: at four o‘clock in the morning, one or more perpetrators set fire to two high-voltage electricity pylons in the Marseille region. The two pylons were only a few metres apart. What happened then? One fire caused a brief interruption in the electricity supply to the surrounding communities. But the other cut power to part of the Marseille-Marignane airport, according to RTE, the network operator, forcing emergency power to take over. A police source said: „Two Enedis high-voltage pylons were set on fire on Monday at the corner of Boulevard Marcel Pagnol and D9 in Vitrolles. The first serves the Marseille-Provence airport and Airbus Helicopters“. In other words, an airport and a company that makes helicopters for the military and the police. Two industries with a huge appetite for energy… Perhaps another attempt „to link the question of social revolution to the question of ecology and to link, through words and deeds, the ecocidal plundering of our planet to the struggle against the powers that be, against exploitation and oppression“.

But that was not enough: Just two days later, the French grid operator RTE reported further sabotage. Also between 17. and 18. December, an electricity pylon in the town of Saint-Justet-Vacquières, near Alès, also in the south of France, was sawed down – „fortunately it did not fall down, otherwise the consequences would have been very serious, because the pylon of this high-voltage line would have fallen on a neighbouring pylon and could have caused a domino effect,“ according to a public prosecutor. The deputy mayor agrees: „I am very concerned about the radicalism with which vital interests are targeted, against industry, of course, but not only. If the people who committed these acts knew what we are doing in Salindres, they would see that they are catalysts that allow us to reduce the burden on the environment“. In Salindres? Oh, so the media and the mayor know that „the intended target was the Salindres chemical plant, about ten kilometres away.“ What happens at Salindres? The chemical park is home to Arkema, a company founded by the oil giant Total Oil, which produces petrochemicals such as PVC. The deputy mayor‘s assertion that „we all protect the environment together and not against each other“ in the face of this oil and plastics giant seems to have divided opinion. The media think that the act was carried out by „environmental activists“… Interesting, but let‘s read the claim itself: „We sabotaged the 225,000-volt pylon on the main line that supplies electricity to the Salindres chemical-industrial centre (Arkema and others). Method : 1) Saw off the crossbars. Note: These are the bars that connect the legs. 2) Make diagonal cuts on both legs in the direction of the fall. Note: The mast must fall perpendicular to the cables. 3) Saw with straight cuts on the same feet about 30 cm above the previous cuts. Note: Saw all the way to the end to get a piece that can be cut off completely. 4) Ram the sawn-off pieces, still held in place by the mast‘s gravity, with a battering ram. Note: A small log can be used. 5) As the mast falls, walk away in small steps in the opposite direction. Note: Metal saws and oil will suffice for this action. Let‘s attack the corporations that poison the earth! (…) Strength to the struggling individuals in France, Germany and elsewhere. If the targets are too well protected, they can cut in advance when attacking the power grid and put themselves in less danger. Let‘s go on the offensive! (…)“ So another sabotaged electricity pylon, and another call to go on the offensive in the face of the destruction of the earth….

But let‘s take a step back. What exactly did this Italian anarchist Alfredo Cospito, imprisoned for ten years say about the so-called environmental struggles in his contribution to a meeting in Bure?

„First of all, let me introduce myself: 8 years ago I shot the CEO of Ansaldo Nucleare, the designer and builder of nuclear power plants, in the legs. You have to know that Italy, even if it doesn‘t have nuclear power plants, is quietly exporting them to countries like Romania, Croatia, Albania…. . The aim of this action was to revive the anti-nuclear movement in Italy and to give an aggressive acceleration to the struggle against the techno-industrial system. With a „resounding“ action, we wanted to show that anarchists can hit „alive“ one of the people responsible for the revival of nuclear energy in „our“ country. For once, we did not „limit“ ourselves to the only destructive action against things, but we took another direction by directly hitting those responsible for the destruction of „our“ planet. We called this action „Nucleo Olga (FAI-FRI)“.

We wanted to make the different perspectives visible in their feasibility and to stimulate a greater openness to the different forms and practices of anarchist ecological action. To reject the taboo that only actions against things can be justified. To challenge the absurd belief in the absolute sanctity of human life, even among those who commit massacres in the name of the science of progress. The objective was only marginally achieved (even if it made many companions think) because the practice of „multiform“ action (at least here in Italy) has not yet been fully understood and even less practised to its full potential, and many prejudices still exist. Many people see „peaceful“ blockades in street confrontations, in attacks on people, in attacks on things, in the use of permanent acronyms to give continuity to temporary acronyms separated from each other….. Few people realise that all these practices have their own reason, their own specific purpose, and do not necessarily contradict each other. And in certain situations (as in Bure), when practised without bias, they complement each other and become truly effective, devastating and disorientating to power. That is, of course, if one does not cry „excommunication“ when certain actions go further and hit harder. These are all practices that, if followed in parallel, without contradiction or struggle, can make a difference and achieve the goal. The absence of one of these practices weakens the strength of all the others. It is important that they include the rejection of any institutional poisoning, otherwise they become an acceptance of the system, only counterproductive palliatives. A specific struggle in a demarcated area like „Bure“ can be strengthened not only by actions in the rest of the country, but even beyond. It is enough to think of this kind of „Black International“ which, without needing a central organisation, has proved time and again that it has the power to support „our“ struggles from outside (from the four corners of the world).

I never tire of saying it, even at the risk of repeating myself: We anarchists have a powerful weapon, extraordinarily effective in its simplicity: the „affinity group“. Comrades united by deep affection and trust who decide to act, strike and return home healthy to strike again. The „affinity group“, when it becomes an „action group“, finds its strongest meaning in illegal, destructive and risky actions. These groups do not depend on the assemblies, they are something else, they have nothing to do with the organisation, they live on liberating, destructive gestures and can become really dangerous for the system. Especially if they are not accompanied by contempt or superiority towards the people, their assemblies of struggle. If the action of an individual or a small group does not stand in opposition to the struggle of „the people“, it strengthens it, pushes it forward. Violent and armed action is only an (important) part of an anarchist‘s life, and there is no contradiction in having a say in a meeting after an action alongside „the people“, or on a barricade or roadblock, the only thing to avoid from the outset is dialogue with power, with institutions. (…)

It is clear to all that this is a battle for the survival not only of our species, but for the life of „our“ planet, because nature is in danger of being turned into a „monster“ day by day. Nuclear science and technology are about to shake the chaotic order of nature to its foundations. We do not have much time left if we really want to change things and reverse this self-destructive process. We must not, and above all we can no longer, set limits to our actions, we must overcome our fears, abandon our scruples and get going“.

Well, perhaps the three attacks mentioned above are examples of what the companion buried alive in Italian dungeons means when he talks about actions in a struggle that go further and hit harder. Or perhaps they are just more attempts to cut the arteries of the industrial system that are everywhere, supplying it with energy, data and goods.

In any case, the objectives raised provide interesting cornerstones when we talk about „linking the question of social revolution with the question of ecology“: The nuclear industry, the military and aeronautical industry and the (oil and) chemical industry. All three are undoubtedly industries that exemplify not only the gigantic energy hunger of the industrial system, but also its destruction, poisoning and pestilence on the planet.

But let‘s shift focus for a moment: In Germany, a so-called climate movement seems to be gaining momentum. The evicted village of Lützerath recently became a focal point of the struggle against the destructive monstrosity of the coal industry. Even in the midst of this struggle, there seemed to be many people who came together in common trust to strike and move on: Attacks on policemen and their cars around Lützerath, sabotage of the RWE coal railway, blockades of access roads and occupations of machines, smashed windows of party offices in various cities, torched Siemens cars and Strabag lorries, solidarity demonstrations, shattered glass and a fleet of Amazon trucks burning bright. All these actions come together in a common struggle, united by a common diversity of forms of action and at the same time a clear rejection of the institutions of power. Without assemblies, central organisation or press officers, a struggle gains all the more strength and momentum when it becomes a field of experimentation for those who, on the basis of it, forge unique relationships and decide to attack freely and wildly, in whatever way they choose. The vitality of a struggle is characterised by the diversity of its forms of action and the common solidarity between them.

A struggle against the coal industry, but not only, a struggle against the industrial destruction of the planet… What are the possible next steps? We will see…