they block the ring road, invite themselves to the Tour de France or Roland-Garros… Who are the Last Renovation activists?

“Do you know how it’s going to end? Do you know the penalty?”, calmly asks the policeman, squatting in the middle of the road. Behind him, hundreds of stopped motorists are growing impatient. “The climate sanction will be much more terrible”, replies an activist sitting on the asphalt across the road, alongside six other people. Dressed in orange vests, they hold up a large banner displaying the name of their association: Last Renovation.

A newcomer to the fight against global warming, the collective born in April 2022 wants to push the limits of civil disobedience and make an impression. On the occasion of the first weekend of departures on summer vacation, Saturday July 9, environmental activists decided to block the Paris ring road. “The symbolism of landing on the asphalt is extremely strong”, explains Paul. This 26-year-old engineer is taking part in his first action. “We are helpless, we only have our bodies to give”he justifies. “I don’t want to have one day to regret not having done everything to stop this climate catastrophe”, adds Julien, also 26 years old. Quit engaging in dangerous actions.

Around 1 p.m., the activists illegally entered the expressway where cars were traveling at 70 km/h. They advance by raising their arms to signal their presence to the drivers and signal them to slow down. Their objective : block the way with their bodies. Cars honk, most of them stop. But some force the passage. The activists resist by spreading their arms, glued against the hood of certain vehicles. The two-wheelers make their way.

By bursting onto the ring road on foot, they want to illustrate the fragility of individuals and living things in the face of the climate crisis and the collapse of biodiversity. But motorists simply want to move forward. The most vehement get out of their car to settle accounts with the Last Renovation activists. A woman bursts in: “Who do you think you are to block people like that? Get out!” She tears off the banner, kicks and then slaps one of them, before knocking off the glasses of Nour, 65, who was trying to block the left lane.

Before the blockage, the sexagenarian had warned: “In an action like this, there is no possible discussion with motorists. We are simply trying to ease tensions.” Without success. “You are completely sick”, “Band of Fascists”, they scream, scalded. Some drag the militants on the ground to clear the road and open the way for blocked cars. A man shakes his fist: “I’m going to smash you.”

A few motorists rev their engines once the human barrier has been crossed. Everyone seems furious. The militants, they keep their eyes on the ground, replace themselves in the middle of the road after being dislodged manu militari. “I try to go back as soon as I can”confirms Paul, who takes the insults and the jostling.

After about ten minutes of blocking, the police dislodge them one by one, carrying them to the side. On Paul’s wrists, plastic handcuffs. “It hurts a little”, he said simply. Despite his determination, he is surprised: “On did not expect such violence from motorists. The people who force through… They could have crushed us.“ He is embarked by the police for almost 24 hours in police custody, with his six other companions.

For Last Renovation activists, the media coverage and the spectacular images of an action are more important than the legal risks. Always with the same rhetoric: what is more essential and more serious than the end of the world? This is how Alizée, 23, voluntarily chained herself to the net on the center court at Roland-Garros on June 3, interrupting a men’s semi-final. On his t-shirt, these words (written in English): “We have 1,028 days left to act.” A reference to the deadline before which, according to IPCC experts, it would be necessary to reverse the curve of greenhouse gas emissions to keep a livable planet. His photo went around the world and attracted many activists to the association.

Rebelote Tuesday, July 12 during another major sporting event, with a powerful sounding board: the Tour de France. Nine Last Renovation activists sat across the road during the 10th stage, blocking the passage of riders and causing the race to be suspended for a quarter of an hour.

On TV sets, Sasha, another figure in the movement, also stood out by recalling the worst scenarios of global warming. “Do you think I want to live in a world where two billion people will have to leave their homes in 30 to 50 years? This is going to be the worst episode of suffering and injustice in the world.“ The 22-year-old student also does not hesitate to take on a BFMTV presenter on June 16: “Will you be able to watch [vos enfants] in their eyes twenty years from now and say, ‘Sorry, I knew and didn’t do anything?'” The sequences made the rounds of social networks and, again, seduced new people.

Beyond the alarmist reports and its spectacular actions, Last Renovation has a specific claim: “That the government immediately undertake to ensure the comprehensive and efficient renovation of the French housing stock by 2040”, with a financing system for the most modest households. As long as the request is not heard, the association, which advocates “civil resistance” for “achieve a political victory on energy renovation”promises to continue the blockades.

Those who join its ranks tend to be educated, urban and young. But older generations are also represented. Nour was in charge of mediation on the ring road on July 9. Now retired, she was in charge of CSR (corporate social responsibility) in an SME before taking the plunge. “When I was 20, I lived in a world that was beautiful, where there was no debt, no global warming, no sixth extinction. And I failed to bequeath that world to my children. I feel responsible today.“ His entourage oscillates between astonishment and admiration at his commitment.

For her part, Florence, a 57-year-old doctor, had a click: “I became aware of climatic facts that I was unaware of, in particular the determining side of the next two to three years.” She, who had never taken part in actions of civil disobedience, participated in her third roadblock on the Paris ring road. Repeated facts which earned him a summons to the criminal court next January, for obstructing traffic (an offense punishable by two years in prison and a fine of 4,500 euros). “It’s funny to think that I’m going to be judged when we are on the right side of history”, she lets go. His six other comrades will be summoned for a simple reminder of the law.

But whatever. Because for all these activists, these actions are those of the last chance. “We bother people because we couldn’t find any other way. Everything we did before was for nothing”, adds Paul, the engineer who also discovered civil disobedience with Last Renovation. Marches, demonstrations and creative actions lead to nothing concrete in their eyes. “Why does no one react when we know what will happen to us?“, asks Sasha, who embodied the movement on television. “Si tomorrow, someone has a better plan, with which we don’t have to disturb others, we’re all in. But today, it’s the only thing we have.”