[This text was written and distributed in the different collective places around Bure last month. Some of us find it particularly relevant and wish to share more publicly. Here is a copy of the original text.]
This leaflet was written in reaction to a challenge, at the beginning of the year 2022, of the norm that collective places around Bure should be vegan.
First of all, the ideas of transformation of the world that are closest to my heart are anarchist / anti-authoritarian ideas. I think that when individuals exercise authority over others or participate in oppressive systems, it is problematic.
And my anti-authoritarian ideas don’t stop at the – arbitrary – border of the species. For exactly the same reasons that I find it problematic to exercise authority over humans, I find it problematic to do so over non-humans.
I find breeding done by human – keeping non-human animals for profit – to be a particularly problematic system of oppression. Especially when the humans in question could do otherwise. Especially when it involves locking up non-humans, controlling their living space, manipulating them, etc.
I find veganism, as an individual boycott practice, not very interesting. On the other hand, I find it to be a good propaganda tool within a political milieu. It’s a tool that points to the problem, that says “animal breeding is a problem”. And it’s a tool that touches on food, so it takes up space on a daily basis, that you can’t avoid.
I like the collective places around Bure, because we are trying to transform the world – to fight against Cigéo –, while trying to have anti-authoritarian practices. We understand that everything is linked, we want to do everything at once, it’s radical, I like it. I think that all the collective places around Bure should be vegan (and reject animal breeding).
A comment ? A question ?
Maybe the FAQ (on the back of this page) has the answer!
So I could answer “why not both at the same time?”, I could also answer “industrial or not, breeding is problematic”, but there is another answer that I find more interesting. I find it particularly interesting to do propaganda in anti-authoritarian political milieux, because I feel that this is where my words have the best chance of being heard, understood, shared, and of leading to a transformation of the world. And since I find veganism a good propaganda tool, I would like to impose veganism in Bure.
I think it is a lack of imagination to believe that we can’t connect with the “local population” without giving them cheese to eat or without buying their cows’ milk. I think you can support farmers without supporting some of their practices.
If your place uses collective resources / energy, then your place is probably a collective place. And the status of “collective place” is fluid: if there is a public call to have a picnic on the Andra traffic circle, then the Andra traffic circle becomes a “collective place” for the duration of the picnic.
Another way of looking at it: if people you invite to your place make criticisms similar to those in this leaflet and it bothers you, you could stop inviting them to your place. If you don’t feel legitimate to stop inviting them, then your place is probably a collective place.
I think that it’s not because we can’t avoid certain problematic practices (like crushing ants) that it justifies continuing those we could avoid (like breeding).
11/06/2022