Action non-violente COP21

Action non-violente COP21 (ANV-COP21) is a French citizen movement founded in 2015 that opposes projects and policies contributing to climate disruption through non-violent action and civil disobedience. It emerged around the COP21 climate conference held in Paris in December 2015, when activists already involved in the Alternatiba movement launched a call for non-violent actions before, during and after the summit. The movement denounces greenwashing by COP21 actors and argues that alongside promoting alternatives, it is necessary to oppose 'climaticidal' practices. ANV-COP21 is the 'resistance' branch of Alternatiba, a citizen movement for climate and social justice that promotes local initiatives. The two movements share the slogan 'Changeons le système, pas le climat!' ('Change the system, not the climate!'). ANV-COP21 is structured as a network of local action groups across France. According to its website, the network comprises 30 action groups aiming to build a mass citizen movement that is both radical and popular, non-violent and determined. The movement's actions are diverse, ranging from symbolic, artistic and humorous stunts to direct interposition, occupation, blocking, constructive actions, non-cooperation and boycott. It claims a 100% non-violent strategy, with actions conducted with uncovered faces, without physical violence, and without psychological violence such as insults or provocative attitudes. Material damage is not excluded in principle but must be decided collectively. The movement gained public attention through campaigns such as the 'Faucheurs de chaises' (chair mowers), which targeted banks over tax evasion, and the removal of presidential portraits from town halls. It has also campaigned against corporations such as AXA for insuring and investing in fossil fuel projects, and against Microsoft over the environmental impact of ending Windows 10 updates. ANV-COP21 is part of the broader Alternatiba network and has mobilised tens of thousands of people, with over 70,000 mobilised in 2018. In 2024, it participated in the Tour Alternatiba 2024, which arrived in Nantes under the name 'la Cité des possibles'. The movement continues to organise national camps, such as a Camp Climat in Nantes from 26 July to 3 August, and campaigns for climate justice and democracy.

Action non-violente COP21 (ANV-COP21) was founded in 2015 as a French citizen movement opposing projects and policies contributing to climate disruption through non-violent action and civil disobedience. It emerged in the context of the COP21 climate conference held in Paris in December 2015. In 2015, a citizen call was launched aiming to conduct non-violent actions before, during and after the Paris climate conference to help build a mass citizen movement to meet the climate challenge. The founders, many already involved in Alternatiba, denounced the greenwashing of COP21 actors and argued that in addition to developing alternatives, it was necessary to oppose 'climaticidal' practices that worsen climate disruption and hinder the construction of a sustainable society. That same year, the first Alternatiba Village took place. From the first actions, ANV-COP21 activists used t-shirts and yellow vests with an open-palm hand logo, a symbol of non-violent action. In 2016, the movement structured itself: a support association was created, headquartered in Bayonne, and a decision was made to merge the animation teams of Alternatiba and ANV-COP21. In 2018, more than 70,000 people mobilised for the movement. In October 2024, from 4 to 6 October, the Tour Alternatiba 2024 arrived in Nantes under the name 'la Cité des possibles'. The movement is the 'resistance' branch of Alternatiba, a citizen movement fighting climate disruption with a focus on social justice, notably by promoting and developing local initiatives. Together they share the slogan 'Changeons le système, pas le climat!' ('Change the system, not the climate!'). ANV-COP21 claims to work for a more desirable society that is ecologically sustainable, socially just and democratic, based on values of solidarity, sharing, mutual aid and cooperation, a culture of non-violence, tolerance, benevolence and respect. It considers the climate battle as the central battle conditioning other fundamental issues such as social justice, peace, democracy, international solidarity and biodiversity preservation. The movement advocates a radical change of the current system, aiming to change modes of production, consumption, land use planning, and sharing of work and wealth, and to exit the neoliberal, capitalist, productivist, extractivist system and the logic of overconsumption and infinite material growth. By combining ANV-COP21's civil disobedience actions and Alternatiba's promotion of existing alternatives, the two movements work in complementarity, denouncing the current system and its main responsible parties while showing that another system is possible and desirable. ANV-COP21 has chosen civil disobedience and a 100% non-violent strategy, which it believes corresponds to its project of building a mass movement that is radical and popular for the climate. By proposing and articulating different forms of action within the same campaigns, the non-violent strategy tries to offer a place for everyone regardless of profile, seeking both support and direct participation from the population. The organisation claims a great diversity of action forms, combining symbolic, artistic or humorous actions with direct actions of interposition, occupation or blocking, as well as constructive actions or actions of non-cooperation and boycott. It affirms that the violent or non-violent character of an action is relative and depends on everyone's perception and more generally on the context in which an action is carried out. ANV-COP21 characterises the non-violence of its actions by the implementation of a precise collective framework aimed at maintaining a respectful attitude towards people throughout the action: actions carried out with uncovered faces, without physical violence from activists, and without psychological violence by prohibiting insults, contemptuous remarks, provocative or insulting attitudes. Material degradation is not excluded in principle but must be a collective decision of the whole group. Notable campaigns include the fight against tax evasion through the 'Faucheurs de chaises' (chair mowers). In February 2015, members of Bizi! entered an HSBC branch in Bayonne, seized chairs and left with them. The Basque collective announced it would return the chairs when the bank, singled out by SwissLeaks revelations, returned the money from tax havens. Subsequently, Bizi! and ANV-COP21 created the Faucheurs de chaises collective with Attac, Les Amis de la Terre and Solidaires Finances Publiques. They launched with personalities a call to requisition as many chairs as there were parties represented at COP21. On 6 December 2015, a 'Summit of 196 chairs' was held in Montreuil to link tax evasion and the lack of financing for ecological and social transition. On 8 February 2016, on the occasion of the opening of Jérôme Cahuzac's trial for tax fraud, the 196 chairs were deposited at the Paris courthouse. For the Faucheurs de chaises, it was not about 'only judging Jérôme Cahuzac'. The movement also became known for removing presidential portraits from town halls. Its current actions include campaigns against AXA for insuring and investing in fossil fuel projects, against Microsoft for ending Windows 10 updates and causing premature obsolescence of computers, and mobilisations in train stations as part of Alternatiba actions against Bolloré's Relay monopoly. The movement continues to organise national camps, such as a Camp Climat in Nantes from 26 July to 3 August.

• 2024

  Tour Alternatiba 2024 arrives in Nantes from 4 to 6 October under the name 'la Cité des possibles'.

• 2018

  More than 70,000 people mobilised for the movement.

• 2016

  Support association created with headquarters in Bayonne; animation teams of Alternatiba and ANV-COP21 merged.

• 2016

  196 chairs deposited at Paris courthouse on 8 February during Jérôme Cahuzac trial.

• 2015

  Citizen call launched for non-violent actions before, during and after COP21; movement founded.

• 2015

  First Alternatiba Village held.

• 2015

  Faucheurs de chaises campaign begins with action at HSBC branch in Bayonne.

• 2015

  Summit of 196 chairs held in Montreuil on 6 December.

Radical and popular, non-violent and determined citizen movement for climate justice.

1. 1Action non-violente COP21 - Mouvement populaire et non-violent !anv-cop21.org
2. 2Le mouvement ANV-COP21 - ANV-COP21anv-cop21.org
3. 3Action non-violente COP21wikidata.org
4. 4Action non-violente COP21fr.wikipedia.org