In "A Battle But Not War," on Making Waves, Antoine Tricot tells the story of the Dunkirk dockers.

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Documentary filmmaker Antoine Tricot tells a beautiful story: that of the Dunkirk dockers. And, through them, that of the working class in the era of neoliberalism. A story that begins in 2014, when Patrick Le Bellec (in charge of the Art and Public Space mission for the city of Dunkirk until his death in 2023) introduced him to a group of former dockers: Louis, François, and Georges. After spending more than twenty years unloading ship holds with their bare hands, this group of dockers—like half of the approximately 8,300 French dockers—had to lay down their arms after the port reform of the early 1990s. It is precious to hear their voices today, voices from the North, voices of workers.

Because through their expressions, their accent (sometimes covered with the sinister hiss of asbestos), their ways of laughing so as not to cry, it is a whole world that is thus saved from oblivion. To accompany them, to also explain his approach, his questions and his doubts, we hear Antoine Tricot – also author of a portrait of Albert Londres in the collection "Toute une vie" for France Culture and, on this same channel, of "Se souvenir de Sam", for "LSD, la série documentaire". For context and atmosphere, some archives from the local CGT are also given. And, of course, the noise of the port and the unchanging cry of the seagulls.

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