Reclaim the Fields is a European network of farmers and rural areas that promotes food sovereignty and agriculture as an alternative model of life. Its objective is to build alternatives to the capitalist model, through cooperative, collective or autonomous initiatives, with low-level productions oriented to their needs. From Tuesday to Sunday, the annual assembly at European level of the Reclaim the Fields network is held in the self-managed area of Amarauna, in Ziordia. And within these meetings, Saturday, February 8th, will be a public day. Among the initiatives being carried out are those that go against the High-Speed Train.
Saturday, March Against TAV and Concentrations in Alsasua
On Saturday, at 09:30 hours, you will depart from the Amarauna area of Ziordia the march against the High-Speed Train to Altsasu. At 12:00 a concentration will be held at the Alsasua train station against the closure of the window and at 13:00 a concentration has been called in front of the City Hall under the motto “AHTrik ez, Sakana bizirik!”. AHTrik EZ is one of the convening platforms of gait and concentrations. “In these initiatives we will denounce the works of the High-Speed Train and the closure of the train services and claim the need to boost the Sakana train,” says the platform.
Closure of the window of Altsasu train station will be denounced
“One step further in the dismantling of the train has been the closure of the lockers of 150 State stations, 3 of them in Navarra, including that of Alsasua,” the platform has denounced in a press release. In the meantime, they have denounced that the works of the High-Speed Train in Navarra are being carried out. “In the last 2 years, works of 30 km have been launched in Tafalla, Olite and Villafranca, the biggest boost that has been given so far to this infrastructure in Navarra. And these works have been seen with good eyes by some; the Mayor of Altsasu, Javier Ollo, celebrated in the last legislature the “arrival of the TAV”, and the President of the Parliament of Navarra, Unai Hualde, has defended this infrastructure”.
Also, the Barrenaren Alde AHTrik EZ platform regretted that the money allocated to the construction of the TAV has meant “a cut in the maintenance of the conventional train” and “a cut in services”. “It is clear that the construction and implementation of the TAV entails the dismantling and abandonment of the conventional train, and we have to be clear that it only guarantees the passenger transport service between cities and towns and the possibilities of freight transport in normal trains,” he says.
For all these reasons, the platform has called to participate in the march that will begin on Saturday in Ziordia and will be fired at Alsasua, as well as in the concentrations in front of the City Hall and the train station.
Distribution of seeds, struggles and festivities
After the Saturday meal in Amaraun, attendees of the Reclaim the Fields meetings will exchange seeds from different regions and corners, and will present the struggles against food and agricultural sovereignty of the Basque Country and Europe. The meeting will be dismissed with dinner and party.
Agenda for Saturday
09:30 March against the TAV from the Amarauna area of Ziordia to Altsasu.
At 12:00 hours stop at the Altsasu/Alsasua train station to report locker closures.
13:00 AHTrik ez, Sakana bizirik! Concentration, in front of Alsasua City Hall.
15:00 Food.
16:00 Exchange of seeds.
17:00 Presentation of the agri-food struggles of Euskal Herria and Europe.
20:00 Dinner.
21:00 Feast.
