Practical infos

Dear all, we are delighted that you are here! You are setting foot into a 100% self-managed camp. Nobody is getting paid here.

We need the help of each of you to make the camp run smoothly, to carry out the various daily tasks, and to make sure that everything runs smoothly. In order for these next 10 days to be moments of exchange, debate and conviviality, and in order to prevent coPresse/Com: 0033 758 08 99 00Presse/Com: 0033 758 08 99 00nflicts and violence as much as possible, we ask you to read the following text and to respect this “framework” that we have developed collectively. Remember that the camp will bring a large number of people from different backgrounds and cultures together, we therefore appeal to your tolerance and solidarity.

Useful numbers:
Infotraflic (cop-control-infoline): 0033 773 56 16 11
shuttles: 0033 753 75 15 63

Press/Com: 0033 758 08 99 00

The Camp is set at route de Guillaumé, 1km from Cirfontaines-en-Ornois (48°27’51.9″N 5°22’36.2″E)

Where will it take place?

The camp, which has been registered with the prefecture, will be located northwest of the commune of Cirfontaines-en-Ornois in Haute-Marne, on land where ANDRA plans to build a railway line to transport the nuclear waste to the disposal site. The nearest railway stations are in Joinville (30 min drive to the camp) and Bar-le-Duc (one hour drive to the camp).

Carpooling

You can sign up in this pad if you are looking for or offering rides: https://semestriel.framapad.org/p/covoiturage_rideshare_mitfahrgelegenheiten-a29p?lang=en

Shuttel

A shuttle with private cars (from volunteers, please sign up, we need drivers!) will be organised to pick up or drop off people from the nearest train stations. The phone number for the shuttle service is +33 7.53.75.15.63. Ypu can call via Signal. Please remember that the camp is self-managed and we have a 30 min drive to Joinville station and an hour drive to Bar-le-Duc. So we won’t be able to get to the station very often. Use your thumb or be prepared to wait. Meet in or in front of the station.

Donation-Based

The camp functions on a conscious “pay-what-you-can” basis (Ticket, food, drinks outside of the bar). We invite you to pay what seems to be a fair price to you according to your financial means.

Information about the costs of the organisation of such an event will be given to you for your understanding. The collected money will be used to pay for infrastructures (the rent of marquees, the acquisition of water canisters, etc), the operation of the camp (food, electricity…) and to pay for some of the traveling costs of volunteers (canteens, artists, presentators who came from afar…).

The closest cash dispenser is more than 10 km away (Gondrecourt-le-chateau or Joinville). So remember to bring cash!

Campings

Multiple camping sites are available for tents, they have specificities ( sleep-early, no cis-hetero-men etc.). All offer access to sanitarys and water.

A specific parking has been put in place for vans, they should not be parked in the tent-areas/

Sleeping outside of the campsites

We have provided sleeping spaces in houses, on beds, for people for whom it is necessary. These spaces are made available as a priority to people who have health problems or other types of needs (early childhood, etc.). You can contact us if needed.

Water and Sanitaries

Running water is not available at the camp. Water tanks are available for drinking water and we therefore invite you to use it sparingly!

  Shower cabins have been installed with buckets available next to them, they can be filled in the tons containing non-drinking water. Please use if possible biodegradable products such as Marseille soap, as the evacuation of the water is being done directly in the field which hosts the camp. Before using a shower, please check if it is accessible to all or if it is reserved for MINT people (girls, intersex, non-binary and trans) or children and their companions.

There are dry toilets in several places in the camp; they are used just as water toilets but the sawdust replaces water. They must be emptied regularly into the composting bin provided for this purpose, and the sawdust reserves must be filled. We are counting on everyone to carry out these tasks!

Several swimming areas are accessible along the Ornain (Abainville, Gondrecourt, Saint-Joire, etc.). Watch out, it’s cold! Further away (but also warmer), there are pretty spots in the Meuse valley, between Vaucouleurs and Greux for example. Thank you for also inviting people who don’t have a car a little splash or a walk outside the camp!

Canteens and self-service kitchens

The canteens are vegan and we take special diets into account. A list is posted near the canteens where you can report any intolerances you might have.

The canteens mainly use local and organic products. Breakfast is served from 7:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., lunch from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

 There is also a space for self-service cooking for people who need to eat at times that differ from the collective meals. This space is mainly vegan. However, it is possible to use vegetarian products if necessary (age, special diet, etc.).

In the space where the meals are taken, there is a “barometer” of vegan consumption to the consumption of animal matter. According to your desires/needs, you can settle where you will feel most comfortable.

Bar

Soft drinks (coffee, tea, water, herbal teas, syrups, etc.) will be available all day on a self-service basis.

The bar will serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages every evening from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.; and will close later on both Saturday night concerts/shows.

Alcohol and substances

The bar sells alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for a few hours each evening. We want the consumption of alcohol and other substances to be made as discreet as possible, so as not to encourage other people to consume them as well. We also ask that you do not come to plenaries and workshops if you feel alcoholic or under the influence of other substances.

Cigarettes

We would like the camp to be non-smoking as far as possible, this concerns cigarettes, cigarette butts and ashes. There are smoking spaces with buckets and ash trays to prevent fires. We will not declare war onto smokers, but we hope that everything can run smoothly and with respect to others.

Fires

It can be very dry here in the summer, so we will ask you to not make any fires and to be extremely careful with camping cookers and cigarette butts.

Medics

A team of medics will be present the whole time. A calling number (French dialcode: +33) will be posted on the campsites. There will also be medics during the demonstration.

Medic-number:

Children’s space

There will be a children’s area all throughout the event in order to allow people who come with them to participate as much as possible in the the Meetings. Animations of all kinds or simply times to “chill” or play freely will be offered.

This space is open to all ages, within the limits of the capacities of the volunteers (staff, experience, etc.).

We will do our best to make it as accessible as possible to non-French speakers!

Opening hours:

Saturday August 26 to Friday September 1

9.30am/12.15pm and 2pm/7.15pm

We are always looking for volunteers, in order to ensure the moral, physical and emotional security of the children during the event. Do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested, or simply if you have any questions.

Nakedness and top-lessness

We would like no nakedness on the camp sites (with the exception of the sauna area which has a specific protocol on this issue). We also want no one to be shirtless in most collective spaces: marquees, barnums, dining areas, bars, performance areas, etc. On the rest of the camp, we encourage everyone to ensure the consent of the surrounding people, and to take into account their privileges.

Space in discussion/public spaces

We would like to pay special attention to the speaking times during discussions and workshops but also in general on camp. We will ask you to not monopolize speaking time especially if you are already used to having that space at other times (f.ex. you are a white hetero cis-man).

Covid and other contagious illnesses

Covid is still circulating actively in many regions of the world, including France. If you think you have been exposed to the virus and want to come to the camp, it is good to take a test before arriving (tests are also available at the medical area). If you test positive for Covid, we are sorry but we must ask you to leave the camp 🙁 We hope you will recover quickly, take care of yourself!

But it’s not just Covid! So please also pay attention to other contagious diseases that like to spread in this type of camp (diarrhea, flu, etc.). Taps with soap and hydroalcoholic gel are placed in several places. It’s summer and there are many of us: to avoid any risk of epidemics and to take care of everyone’s health, let’s wash our hands before eating, after going to the bathroom and before helping to cook !

If you are not feeling well, you can contact the Medics at any time in the dedicated space or by phone.

Dogs

We have not planned / organized the reception of pets and particularly dogs on the camp. We want everyone, including young children, to feel as free as possible there, and we fear a difficult cohabitation.

We therefore ask you not to come with your companions. If it is not possible to do otherwise, we ask that you do not bring your dogs to the plenary sessions, workshops as well as to the meal area during canteen time. In the other spaces, it will be necessary to ensure that their presence is discreet.

Phones

We advise you to leave your phone at home for various reasons. For example, bringing it will allow the police to note your presence in the camp. However, we know that it will not be possible for everyone to go without a phone for the duration of the camp. Therefore, a collective telephone will be made available at the reception tent. People forced to keep their own phone on the camp are invited to leave it in their tent or vehicle, and not to bring it during interventions, shows and meals.

Keeping your phone in your pocket exposes us and the people around us to potential surveillance. In addition, the waves emitted by telephones generate a whole series of symptoms for electrosensitive people.

Journalists and photos

In recent years, there has been strong police and judicial repression around Bure. Our desire is to feed it as little as possible, for example by avoiding making it easier to identify people on the camp.

On the other hand, we want this event and this struggle to be documented and that they radiate beyond the space-time of the camp. For this, we are using self-managed media (if you want to help us, welcome!) and have invited some external media.

Journalists will be welcomed at the camp and accompanied on well-identified slots. They will not be allowed to take pictures of people.

Overall, throughout the duration of the camp only certain well-identified people will be authorized to take photos and videos. Faces will not be photographed or will be blurred.

Sam. 26.08 at 12h-13h PC

(13-14h food; accompanied photo session on camp <15h)

Ven. 01.09. at12h-13h PC

(13-14h food; accompanied photo session on camp <15h)

Dim. 03.09. PC 16h without tour

Fanzine space

A space to write, draw and edit fanzines on thematics discussed on camp and of shared camp-life. Everybody can take written and drawn notes at different parts of the meetings, panel discussions etc. and then bring those and participate in the editing process. We will edit fanzines daily! This space is offered by the collective Postindustrial animism

Visits of the spaces linked to the Bure Struggle

Some of you will visit Bure for the first time and will most certainly want to visit the places of struggle such as the House of resistance or the railway station. And that is great! But… meetings like this one bring a lot of people with them. We will ask you to respect the privacy of the people living in these spaces and to take that into account. All along the camp we will propose guided tours with presentation of the local and historic context and the challenges of each space at specific times. So please just come to one of those, so that everyone can live this camp peacefully.

Antirepression/Legal

Repression context and practices

The struggle has a long past that included a lot of repression through for example frequent and systematic police controls that sometimes led to provisory detention and even judicial procedures. These last months police repression has strongly diminished. The context has changed, controls are less frequent and it is less frequent to end at the police station (besides at the outskirts of the Lejus Forest where cameras have been placed). We do not know how the police will react to our camp, but it is possible that requisitions and prefectorial orders will be put in place. The police loves pictures of the people present and will also note all number plates everyday. When the cars are in a private space such as the camp and parking areas you are totally allowed to mask your number plate, but do not forget to take it off once you leave the camp.

The functioning of the legal team

We have a group of people responsible for anti-repression, the so-called legal team, that communicates with the lawyers. If you see somebody getting arrested, call the legal team (you will find their number on camp), you can also call them on Signal. Be careful not to give any names or what has happened on the phone (the place and number of people arrested will be enough information, the legal team will ask you for more information if necessary). If you are in detention it is very important to remember the name and the “barreau” of one of these lawyers:

-Hanna Raibenbach (barreau de Paris)

-Coline Bouillon (bareau de Créteil)

We will have brochures on camp containing a legal brief that will give you much more information on how to deal with the police and justice system and will give you keys to think about your defense strategy beforehand.

Care village

The care of the earth will not happen without the care for ourselves, so we will have a space called “care village” during our camp. It will contain a mobile sauna, a big barnum, a library van, and a comfortable and protected outside space.

The care village offers a calm space with less interactions. If you have to rest during the camp calm and sheltered places have been thought out. In these places we invite you to respect the need for rest or even isolation of the people present by asking for their authorisation before talking to them.

This space will also contain an awareness booth and workshops on oppression and discrimination, an information-booth and a library-caravan on these subjects as well as introductory and deeper going workshops around the topic of mediation and a super cool sauna/chill/care caravan with slots that can be reserved

If people are in need, in distress and/or have suffered, observed, been perpetrators of violence/discrimination, a listening team (active, empathetic, etc.) and basic psychoemotional support is available. They are not therapists, just people affected by certain structural oppressions, who are trained in these issues, and wish to dedicate energy to them.

Independently but in connection, a team focused on the prevention and management of gender-based and sexual violence will also be present and active, especially for festive evenings and other moments of great sociability or major issues.

Depending on what is voiced in these moments, people can potentially turn to a team of mediators, operating on the basis of a restorative system.

It will also be possible to request minute mediations without going through the listeners. The mediators will be present from the beginning of the camp to Thursday, August 31.

If we come to situations of threats or acts of physical violence, it is the zbeul team that will take over, in consultation with the people concerned and the accompanying persons.

The treatment village will offer differing opening times (depending each team). Some will wear distinctive signs to be found on the camp and to indicate that they are available. Finally, there will be a telephone number that can be reached at any time in case of emergency. We will also remain available for some time after the end of the camp, at least remotely.

Finally, we do not forget that the question of care and vigilance against oppression, discrimination and violence is everyone’s business. In addition to the “rocks” (informal personal emotional sharing times between participants), a little reading and workshops for those who would like some pedagogy as well as the care village, we are also counting on everyone to watch out for their actions and words and to question themselves if necessary.

This space will be available to everyone as a place of respite and rest, listening, access and discovery of mutual therapeutic practices. We invite you to join this dynamic, whether you are practitioners, amateurs or interested. An open schedule is available on site.

What is happening here at Cigeo

Since the 1990s, the national agency for the management of radioactive waste, Andra, has monopolized the south of Meuse and the north of Haute-Marne to build the largest nuclear waste burial center … in the world. Cigeo, that’s its name, is supposed to confine more than 80,000m³ of the most radioactive atomic waste produced by the army and French industry. To establish themselves, strong repression is deployed against protesters – recent years have seen many moments of protest and many have faced violence and expulsions perpetrated by the nuclear-friendly state. All whilst astronomical subsidies are watering the region and elected officials. Since last year, Cigeo has been declared of public utility. In early 2023, the authorization request for creation (DAC) was submitted. Expropriations and preparatory works could begin soon, but the huge construction sites planned continue to meet strong opposition, both at the administrative level and in the streets and on the country lanes. It is in Bure that the future of French nuclear power is at stake, which depends on this fake solution to keep its mirage of technological progress going.

Languages

At the encounters, people who don’t speak the same language(s) will come together.

We would like this language multiplicity to be welcomed with enthusiasm and kindness. To do so, all participants should care about the inclusion of people who don’t speak french : while waiting for the canteen, while eating, in the bar, during walks, at the river, at 8 AM and at midnight, everywhere and always, you are sharing these Encounters with people speaking different languages!

For example, if you are in a group and someone doesn’t understand french, then speak english, and if part of the group doesn’t speak english, then switch languages. Anyway, do not leave this person apart, find a way to get them involved.

Warning, not all non-french-speaking people speak english! And english-speaking people often have a quite different mother language! We chose to organize translation to French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arab. However, some participants have other mother languages (Polish, Serbian, Swahili, Romanian, Bambara, Creole, Sicilian, Catalan, etc).

“Okay, but I can only speak French” : speak slowly, with gestures, get help from automatic translation apps, or ask for help around you. It is not necessary to speak the same language in order to meet, to share a friendly moment together. What matters is not to ignore each other, and the ways of doing so will appear by themselves.

And if you speak several languages, tell the people who speak those languages.

How is translation organized?

Translation is organized by the collective Coati (https://coati.pimienta.org/) in one of the large circus tents : at the entrance, you get a small radio with headphones, and you have to give it back at the end of the discussion. In other spaces, we (amateur techs) organize translation ourselves, with DIY cable equipment called “spiders”.

The spaces with translation and the languages translated will be written on the program. Unless you speak French or English, please write down which discussions you are interested in during the week, so that we can organize the translation ahead.

If you don’t understand any of the languages proposed, you can come talk to us, and we will try to organize some translation.

If you want to contribute to the cost of translation, there will be a small “free price” box.

If you speak several languages and you like simultaneous translation, come and join us!!! You are more than welcome! We need you ! 🙂 Meeting everyday at 1:30 PM for a quick organization pitch (place to be defined).

Different cultures

Life experience and the way to look at the world can be very different between people, and it is not obvious to understand each other. We would like these differences to be welcomed, and prejudices not to be trusted.

Every cultures, customs, spiritualities and fashions are welcome, and we want to encourage their multiplicity!

If you can already register and send us the formular, it will help us to estimate the number of participants🙂 Thank you !