The German government passed an extension for operation periods for German Nuclear Power Stations, against the will of the people. North Korea is not the only location of recent nuclear power protests; Germany has also been a hotspot for some time, particularly around Gorleben – a location of nuclear resistance for over 30 years. Recent protests are against the usage of routes and railroads for the transport of nuclear. A train carrying 11 caskets for the transportation and storage of nuclear waste (CASTOR) hauled back from France used fuel from German power stations. Each CASTOR is estimated to hold 9-10 times as much radioactivity as that released by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The CASTOR Schottern campaign calls for a mass of people to remove stones from the railway tracks to prevent the train from getting through. Some 3,000 activists sat on the train tracks outside Dannenberg to further delay the convoy, until forcibly removed by police. Early in the protest, violence erupted after 250 activists tried to damage the track near the waste dump. When engaged by policed, activists responded used flare guns and chemical spray; riot police responded with truncheons, teargas, and a water cannon. The train was repeatedly stopped in its journey. The act of violence on the behalf of the protesters has shown strength in Germany’s anti-nuclear desires.
Sources: n.a. (2010, Nov 10). “Hands-on action needed more than ever to stop nuclear power in Germany,” Independent Media Center http://www.indymedia.org/en/2010/11/942874.shtml
n.a. (2010 Nov 9 2010). “Successful CASTOR blockade at Franco-German border,” Cine Rebelde http://www.cinerebelde.org/successful-castor-blockade-at-francogerman-border-p-102.html?language=en
n.a. (2010 Nov) “Cold sit-in-night on the castorrailway,” Cine Rebelde http://www.cinerebelde.org/cold-sitinnight-on-the-castorrailway-p-104.html
Breidthardt, Annika (2010, Nov 7). “German police clash with anti-nuclear activists,” Reuters http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6A621Q20101107
Student Researcher: Don La Barge
Faculty Evaluator: Christina Knopf, Ph. D. Communications Professor, Potsdam State University of New York.
photo from Breidhardt