Farmers face eviction to make way for new French airport

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At the end of 2015 the giant construction firm, Vinci, who are scheduled to build a new airport near Nantes in the west of France, sought an emergency court order to expel small-scale farmers who live and work on the planned site. The farmers, some of whose families have been on the same land for generations, are refusing to go. On Saturday January 9th opponents of the deeply controversial airport project staged a demonstration in support of the local farming community threatened with expulsion. Jade Lindgaard reports.

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Farmers and their families who in some cases have lived for generations on farmland earmarked for the planned new airport near Nantes in western France face legal action to get them evicted from the site. Lawyers acting on behalf of Vinci, the giant construction firm building the controversial airport at Notre-Dame-des-Landes, sought an emergency court ruling at the end of December to get the inhabitants of four farms and three houses expelled from the expropriated land. In addition the group is seeking financial penalties of 200 euros per case for each day of non-compliance. A full hearing before judges at Nantes is scheduled for January 13th.

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