The communitie's ideological leader was Roland Perrot, a military deserter from the war in Algeria. Perrot knew Jean Giono and had experienced the free commune in Contadour in the 1930s. The ideological focus of the community is anti-militarist and pacifist, anti-capitalist and egalitarian. Activities focus upon self-sufficiency, community life, craft and agricultural production, the joint management of energy, water and respect for the environment.