A threat to democracy? Water protests in France and Germany

Environmental crisis narratives are used to justify the exercise of power, including against democratic state authority. In the cases of Danone in Volvic, France, and Tesla in Grünheide, Germany, activists are challenging the official state approval of multinationals’ exploitation of local resources amid declining water levels. This article compares the narratives that activists use in their campaigns regarding power and democracy. There are differences in the perception of the state and its potential. The Volvic water crisis in France is attributed to the state’s lethargy. In contrast, the Grünheide protest in eastern Germany is about more fundamental asymmetries. Activists reject the power of a global investor at the expense of the local institutions. This protest is about more than just protecting local water sources. • Water protests reveal the power struggles between NGOs, the state and corporations. • Activists use simple narratives about crisis to challenge economic priorities. • In Volvic, France, activists attribute the depletion of water to the state lethargy. • Grünheide activists point to corporate power at the expense of local institutions. • German anti-Tesla protest is about more than water – it is about greater democracy.