Radio Silence: On the End of Radio Klaxon, the ZAD’s Pirate Radio

This statement comes from the team that operated Radio Klaxon, the pirate radio station on the ZAD in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, France. It explains why they’ve gone off air and don’t foresee continuing the project, which has been a vital part of the community of struggle on the ZAD for many years.

While the movement on the ZAD succeeded in blocking the airport planned for the land it was occupying, many current and former ZADistes have expressed dismay at how the autonomous zone has fallen prey to authoritarian tendencies imposing negotiation with the state and legalization, and general normalization, at the expense of many who won’t fit into the legal structures circumscribing the land’s future.

Greetings dear friends,

This is our goodbye letter, but we will meet again-our inbox is always open ;-). We want to break the silence, to explain where we are coming from, or, at least, not let others speak in our place. The following will be posted soon on indymedia (share it however you want).

Radio Klaxon wrote a text, but won’t be heard over the airwaves anymore; this text is posted on indymedia, but not zad.nadir.org [tr. note: the traditional clearinghouse for the different groups on the ZAD]. We live in interesting times.

Whether you’re near or far, it’s very difficult to understand what’s actually happening on the ZAD, and there’s no longer any space for debate or conflict. Everything is fantastic, beautiful, and running smoothly. What a load of shit.

We didn’t write this to give you all the answers. Sorry. For what it’s worth, apparently we “don’t understand strategy” anyways. We are just here to share our grief and rage, so no one can misinterpret or misrepresent our silence.

Below is our text, followed by the adapted/re-written/re-appropriated version, posted in their own words, to zad.nadir.

Radio Silence:

“Radio Klaxon” is no more. We, the team who have built and operated Klaxon in recent years, don’t find meaning in what’s happening on the ZAD anymore.

The ZAD that we knew and loved is dead, murdered by the French state, and by some of those involved in the anti-airport movement. The state has found intermediaries among the citoyennistes (liberals), the countryfolk, as well as among the most reactionary ZADists, who are attached to their comfortable wealth and privilege, eager for power and deeds to the land (which are synonymous to them).

The latter are disgusting. Their words are repulsive, their actions even worse. Their smug pride in a supposed victory over the district administration is exhausting (they laugh now, but when it falls apart they’ll blame it on the “cowards” who left).

In short, we’re packing up shop. As for our gear, we’re talking with other places who are staying outside the law and motivated to do radio so we can send it their way- we’re still going back and forth on how to do that 🙂

This wound is still fresh. An alternate history of the ZAD (not the “heroic” tale you’ve all heard) is still to be written, discussed and heard (we will be podcasting on https://zad.nadir.org or elsewhere in the future). [tr. note: a partial history and critique of the authoritarian tendency on the ZAD is available in English here]

We’d like to apologize to our listeners. We loved the station as much as you did, which is why we know you’ll understand our reasons for calling it quits. We’d also like to send our regrets to those who are staying put on the ZAD, whether to “keep it from getting worse” or “so that it will become more collective”. We’ll no longer be there to help you weather the storm.

We’ll leave you with some final words: Never let people who write repellent, incomprehensible shit– often acting in tight-knit groups in which everyone talks the same, repeating words like “power”, “the commons”, “getting land”, “strategic thinking”, or “leap of faith” over and over– get anywhere near the struggles you’re involved in. It’s the coming bullshit.

In closing: Radio Klaxon is dead! Viva nothing! Fuck everything!

If you want to see the contrast for yourself, here is the above text after zad.nadir filtered out anything critical.

Obituary:

With heavy hearts we regret to inform you that Radio Klaxon stopped broadcasting a short time ago. The people who made it happen these last years have either left the ZAD, or wanted to stop doing Radio Klaxon because they couldn’t relate to what is now happening on the ZAD.

This groundbreaking collective tool, that started broadcasting on 107.7 FM from the treetops during a party in the Saulce forest, had a signal that covered a few kilometres around Nantes. Now, our gear is boxed up while we discuss if, with more time and interest, we could start up again. If not, we will pass it along so others can put it to good use.

In the meantime, we will miss Radio Klaxon, and we will all look back on the great times we had on the air. Messing around and inventing jingles, chatting about the news, doing interviews, pulling off hoaxes, debating, spinning our favourite playlist- with special tracks just for us and our friends. We’ll remember how it motivated us during the blockades, the demos, the huge-ass tire fires…and those times we did some LARP-ing. During evictions, Radio Klaxon was crucial. It informed us of where the pigs were, and above all, sent very useful updates and advisories.

So there it is. We miss you Radio Klaxon, and we hope to see you again. Beep beep!!

Radio Klaxon, Podcasts and Programs

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