Interview with a defendant
(Euskara) (Castellano)
On June 15, 2021, there was an operation in the Limousin region in which twelve people were arrested for allegedly carrying out several acts of sabotage. Six of them were detained for several days, and three were subject to anti-terrorism legislation, which meant they were held incommunicado for three to four days. In this interview, we speak with one of the people charged.
What actions led to this trial?
In February 2020, there was an act of sabotage against Linky smart meters. These new electricity meters automatically send information about your home via radio waves: they know your consumption, they know if you are at home, they can even know which TV channels you usually watch! They control everything, and on top of that, it is a system of electromagnetic waves that sends waves into the home. Many people refused to have them installed, but they were imposed by force. That’s when a campaign against them began, with an act of sabotage at the headquarters of the electricity company ENEDIS, where eight vans containing equipment were burned. Then in January 2021, there was another act of sabotage at a telecommunications center where television antennas were destroyed. A 230-meter antenna was burned, with repeaters from companies that use 5G. Apparently, there was also a military antenna.
How did the arrest take place?
At around 6 or 6:30 in the morning, the gendarmerie intervention groups arrived at my house. They are the ones who act when they suspect there are signs of terrorism. We don’t lock our front door, and they could have entered quietly, but they broke the lock, which is typical in any intervention of this kind. They came up to my room with laser-equipped submachine guns. I was in bed, naked, and they searched me like that. I remained calm. In fact, I saw that one of them was shaking a little, and I said, “Calm down, calm down.” And that was it, they arrested us.
How did the initial legal process unfold?
My partner and I were separated, and we spent four days in solitary confinement, with questions, interrogations, and so on. Once those days were over, we went to see the investigating judge in Limoges. She decided to put us directly in prison as a preventive measure. A justice of the peace assessed whether the three of us would be imprisoned or released, and whether we could have the sentence revoked. After a brief trial, he decided to release us under judicial supervision, which meant that we had to go to the police station twice a week to sign in, that we couldn’t leave the country, and that we would be under constant surveillance. The judge was a nice guy because, considering it was summer, he told us, “Go to the beach and sunbathe, and don’t do anything stupid, because I understand you were planning to do something else.” And he released us on parole, even though the investigating judge, who is in charge of the case, wanted to put us in jail. This has been going on for five years now, and the trial will be held on March 19 and 20, 2026.
To what extent has this changed your life?
Obviously, I’d rather not be under judicial supervision, but I try to live a normal life. We are going to be tried on two counts, and in each case the maximum sentence is 10 years in prison, so I realize that we are lucky not to be in preventive detention. In addition, the requirement to sign in has been reduced from twice a week to once a month. I know it’s going to be tough, but it doesn’t keep me awake at night, because I think these actions are fair and necessary.
What do you think these actions were intended to achieve?
I want to say that I have always denied and continue to deny my involvement, but at the same time I have reaffirmed my solidarity with the people who did it. The actions have been claimed anonymously in the newspapers. It is clear that big business interests are destroying the world and that telecommunications lobbies have infiltrated all public health commissions and all laboratories where the effects of electromagnetic waves are being researched. They operate in Brussels, in Washington… and they control everything completely. Although the damage caused by such sabotage seems very high, in reality it is quickly repaired, and in relation to a large multinational company it is not a big deal. It is peanuts for big business. The Orange group alone has made a net profit of 1.3 billion euros this year. We know that scientific research on this subject is influenced by these lobbies. They do not say that the waves are not dangerous, but rather that it has not been proven that they are dangerous. In this way, they want to block any public debate. But people do want to debate this issue. In fact, there are independent researchers who have conducted numerous studies demonstrating a direct link between electromagnetic waves and the proliferation of cancer. The precautionary principle is not being applied in all of this.
What is the precautionary principle?
It’s the principle that assumes something may pose risks to public health, even without scientific certainty. It involves suspending the use or development of what is being researched until it is proven harmless. Right now, the country is being covered with antennas without applying any principles of study or acknowledging the studies that point to their danger. I believe that the people who carried out the acts of sabotage have a role that is what we call «alarm raisers.» When someone in a company discovers something wrong, they raise the alarm, and then they are fired or persecuted. The purpose of this alarm is to create a public debate.
Do you think this debate is gaining traction?
No, the debate isn’t happening because powerful interests want to suppress it, even though there have been hundreds of similar acts of sabotage in France. I believe that the people who did this did it to generate debate.
Do you have any expectations about what might happen in March?
No, I have no idea what might happen. The main purpose we want the process to serve is not to defend the people involved, but to conduct a political process and denounce the unlivable world they are creating for us. We aren’t seeking our own defense because, in any case, I’m convinced they’re going to do whatever they want. The trial, for example, could take as long as they want; it could be a month, or they could drag you out of the courtroom immediately. I don’t expect anything from them, but at least, since it’s happened, let it serve to denounce all those people. That’s the little we can do in freedom.
What does freedom mean to you?
I don’t believe there is freedom. The possibilities in the current system are minimal. At most, there is the freedom that each person can have within themselves; in all other respects, we are all equally bound. I would say that freedom is not thinking about anything and simply feeling life. That is the power of life.
Have you felt the support of the people?
Yes, people have mobilized. There is a support committee that helps us, because we need money for the lawyers, and it is incredibly commendable because mobilizing for a cause for five years, when there is no significant change, is extremely draining. Festivals have been organized, money has been raised, publicity has been done… To be there all the time, you need to believe in the cause, persevere, be brave. You need perseverance, yes, perseverance.
How can someone show solidarity with this cause?
By contacting the committee: “Comité de soutien” (Support Committee), their website: https://labogue.info/spip.php?article2222 and their email: comite15juin@riseup.net
POEM:
Limoges: Sabotage against Enedis
You
kill the birds and the eagles
we
do not want to know about your big business
industrial wind farms or very high voltage mega transformers
You
destroy trees, forests
You
are destroying the world
We
don’t want nuclear power
we don’t want Linky, big data, or big brother
We
want a golden pension:
the minimum wage at 10,000 euros, retirement at 20
You
talk to us about ecological transition
we
answer sabotage
(from sabot : wooden shoe … in the factory, it is said of the damage caused to machines by those shoes)
[ “Linky” are the telematic electric meters that Enedis is installing in every French house, whichproduce dangerous electromagnetic waves and allow instantaneous control of electricity consumption – therefore a tout court control of some aspects of our lives ].
