UN RENOUVEAU DE LA PARTICIPATION ASSOCIATIVE ? L'engagement et le militantisme au sein du comité Attac Isère

2.2.2.1.2 A festive mode of action

The mobilizations of association are characterized by the place which is granted to festive dimension. This festivity is, first of all, present at the time of the events of the internal life of association. The national appointments (Assembled general, summer schools) arise, in spite of the number of participants, like moments of user-friendliness between militants. Evenings «Attac » are organized by the national direction : projections of films, spectacles humorous, dances, etc Within the local committee, of the regroupings of user-friendliness also take place. These demonstrations take part in the development, as we noted, of an organized sociability intended to federate the militants of association. They seem to correspond, according to the survey carried out by Thomas Marty, to certain waiting of the militants^489(*).

However, this festivity is also present during the external mobilizations of association. For example, at the time of May 1, one « midnight supper » each year in front of the palate of the purse in Paris is organized. It is a question of protesting against « financiarisation » and speculative profits in a merry and convivial way. The group « campus » also one carried out « alternative play of law » on the topic of the speculation. These forms of action appear, perhaps, like a new fashion of protest. They would raise, according to us, of the conjunction between a user-friendliness present in the traditional organizations and waiting again modes of actions which are expressed since the beginning of the Nineties. Whereas the associative movements protesters had excluded, in reaction to the traditional organizations, the festivity like mode of action, Attac would make of it a major component of its repertory of collective action. One for concluding from it as much can that the mode of protest of association is new ?

Cecile: Our first action was a play, on the campus: how to become a large pig speculator! It was a play of goose, super funny; one had done it with the terminus of the tram, it was about March.

F.E : It was you who had launched this action? And had that gone well?

Cecile: Means, because the students had come to play, but they already were known... (laughter)

F.E : And the people who were in front of the tram?

Cecile: Yes, it is funny, because there were some people who wanted to play but which did not look at inevitably what it had written there on the boxes. There are people who said: «Oh I play, it is funny! » But finally they had not included/understood. But at the end, there are nevertheless some people who asked us: «But it is what Attac? ». But us, one expected that that is more dynamic, one said that the militancy should be promoted more, to try to renew all these actions. It is well to make an action with funny forms, but as it is the first appearance, people do not know yet Attac and it was normal only that does not go of the first blow.

* ⁴⁸⁹ Among the activities to which the militants attach the most importance, it «  participation in the evening festive  » seems the first answer provided by surveyed with 54,7%. Cf, Marty (Thomas), op.cit, appendices, p. 11.