english
nederlands
Indymedia NL
Independent Media Centre of the Netherlands
Indymedia NL is an independent free communication organisation. Indymedia offers an alternative approach to the news by using an open publishing method for text, images, video and audio.
> contact > search > archive > help > join > publish news > open newswire > disclaimer > chat
Search

 
All Words
Any Word
Contains Media:
Only images
Only video
Only audio

Dossiers
Agenda
CHAT!
LINKS

European NewsReal

MDI's complaint against Indymedia.nl
Courtcase Deutsche Bahn vs. Indymedia.nl
Topics
anti-fascisme / racisme
europa
feminisme
gentechnologie
globalisering
kunst, cultuur en muziek
media
militarisme
natuur, dier en mens
oranje
vrijheid, repressie & mensenrechten
wereldcrisis
wonen/kraken
zonder rubriek
Events
G8
Oaxaca
Schinveld
Schoonmakers-Campagne
Help
Tips for newbies
A short intro into Indymedia NL
The policy of Indymedia NL
How to join?
Donate
Support Indymedia NL with donations!
Lawsuits cost a lot of money, we appreciate every (euro)cent you can spare!

You can also direct your donation to Dutch bank account 94.32.153 on behalf of Stichting Vrienden van Indymedia, Amsterdam (IBAN: NL41 PSTB 0009 4321 53)
Indymedia Network

www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa
ambazonia
canarias
estrecho / madiaq
kenya
nigeria
south africa

Canada
hamilton
london, ontario
maritimes
montreal
ontario
ottawa
quebec
thunder bay
vancouver
victoria
windsor
winnipeg

East Asia
burma
jakarta
japan
manila
qc

Europe
alacant
andorra
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
bristol
bulgaria
croatia
cyprus
estrecho / madiaq
euskal herria
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
lille
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
netherlands
nice
norway
oost-vlaanderen
paris/île-de-france
poland
portugal
romania
russia
scotland
sverige
switzerland
thessaloniki
toulouse
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia
west vlaanderen

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
brasil
chiapas
chile
chile sur
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso

Oceania
adelaide
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
oceania
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india
mumbai

United States
arizona
arkansas
atlanta
austin
baltimore
big muddy
binghamton
boston
buffalo
charlottesville
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
danbury, ct
dc
hampton roads, va
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
idaho
ithaca
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
omaha
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
seattle
tallahassee-red hills
tampa bay
tennessee
united states
urbana-champaign
utah
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
armenia
beirut
israel
palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
discussion
fbi/legal updates
indymedia faq
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech
volunteer
Credits
This site is produced by volunteers using free software where possible.

The system we use is available from:mir.indymedia.de
an alternative is available from: active.org.au/doc

Thanks to indymedia.de and mir-coders for creating and sharing mir!

Contact:
info @ indymedia.nl
Nuclear death train too fast?
Diet Simon - 10.11.2004 14:26

The state attorney in Nancy is investigating whether the nuclear waste train that killed an activist chained to the track was going too fast.

It’s ordered the locomotive’s “black box”, the recorder of its operation, to be studied. Earlier state attorney Michel Senthille in the eastern French town had stated that the train was running at 98 kilometres an hour round a curve.


The train weighed 2,200 tonnes and was 398 metres long. At that speed, it would have needed 800 metres to stop. Sébastien Briat, a 21-year-old student, was run over shortly after the train took a curve, with the driver able to see only 200 metres ahead. Three others with him were injured.

The driver had been warned by police motorcyclists riding ahead on a dirt road but could not stop in time.

The train was taking 12 Castor caskets of highly radioactive German nuclear waste from power stations back to Germany after reprocessing at a French plutonium factory at La Hague in Normandy, northern France.

The reprocessing company, Cogema, said these were the remnants of 600 tonnes of uranium from which power was produced for 25 million Germans for a year.

After a journey of 60 hours by rail and truck, stopped several times by protesters on the rails and roads, the consignment arrived in a storage hall near the picturesque north German village of Gorleben at 9.15 am Tuesday morning.

The rail journey was 1,000 kilometres through Germany, with activists along the way reporting that it was going much too fast.

The trucks needed more that two hours for the last 20 kilometres by rural roads from the railhead to the storage compound. Police had to clear thousands of sitting demonstrators and dozens of tractors from village roads, sometimes using batons.

For the transport near Gorleben alone, 10,100 police were assigned, 2,400 fewer than for the same kind of transport last year; throughout Germany it was 15,710. 39 helicopters were used.

This was the eighth transport to Gorleben since the storage hall opened for business in 1995. It now contains 56 Castors. Its total capacity is 420.

Authorities put the total cost of the police operation at around 21 million euros (25.7 million last year) in Lower Saxony state alone – utter insanity when governments are cash-strapped and all kinds of services to the public are having to be cut back.

The commander of the police operation, Friedrich Niehörster, said there were more protests than last year. Apparently under the impression of Briat’s death there had been “a large number of peaceful demonstrators and only small groups ready for violence”. The Lower Saxony government described the protests as “very peaceful”. Twelve policemen were reported injured.

The Gorleben activists say they’re rethinking their forms of action because of the death. They say a fundamental principle in resisting the Castor transports had always been that no one should get hurt. (Last year the activists’ own medics reported that police had “brutally” and indiscriminately injured 85 protesters, some of them seriously.)

Sébastien Briat is being buried today, Wednesday 10 November, in Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine. Mourners are meeting at 2.30 pm in front of Bar-le-Duc station to proceed to the burial service taking place at 3 p.m.

Briat’s family has asked for a simple service and that n o signs of allegiance to any political organisation. Condolences to the family can be sent to Réseau "Sortir du nucléaire", 9 rue Dumenge, F-69317 Lyon Cedex 04, fax 0033-4 72 07 70 04, email  rezo@club-internet.fr for forwarding.

The French anti-nuclear network, "Sortir du Nucléaire", has called for vigils at all French railway stations on Wednesday.

There will also be vigils and demonstrations at various German locations. Police were pretty rough with some of those that happened spontaneously as soon as news of Briat’s death arrived. A flier with a picture of Sébastien is available at  http://media.de.indymedia.org/media/2004/11/98267.pdf.

Meanwhile in Düsseldorf, Germany, police experts from various federal states on Wednesday are discussing planned Castor transports from Dresden in east Germany to a storage hall at Ahaus, similar to the one in Gorleben.

Also at the talks are representatives of the transport company and the shut-down research reactor at Rossendorf whose 951 spent fuel roads in 18 Castors are to be trucked more than 600 kms across Germany.

Saxony state, where the reactor is situated, is pressing for the transports to take place still this year, North-Rhine Westphalia, where Ahaus is, is resisting, saying in the winter weather now beginning it would be irresponsible to subject police personnel to the extra dangers. The transport licence runs out at the end of the year.

"There won’t be a Castor transport [to Ahaus] this year,” said NRW interior minister, Fritz Behrens.

Several anti-nuclear groups in the heavily nuclearised region where Ahaus lies have expressed disappointment at the plans going ahead. No one can understand, they say, why transports have to be carried out regardless although they create new dangers and the disposal of waste remains just as unsure. They demanded that in view of Briat’s death, the transport preparations be broken off immediately.


The trial of two people who chained themselves fast to stop a Castor train a year ago in Heilbronn county, will not take place on Wednesday as scheduled. Local activists say the proceedings have been cancelled. But another similar trial is taking place tomorrow.
 http://de.indymedia.org/2004/11/98291.shtml

The other Castor blockade in France

Personal account by Cécile
Much was said about the fatal accident in France. Photos were published, including on Indymedia, confusion was caused. The press did its job badly!!

There were two chaining-on actions in France. The first near Laneuveville was SUCCESSFUL. The second failed and the train ran over Sébastien…I took part in the first action and would like to report here and write down a few personal thoughts.

In Laneuveville near Nancy I chained myself to the rails together with Camille. Twelve other people with a banner were with us on the rails. We sang good songs…Our action took place at 11:15 am.

The train stopped more than 300 metres from our blockade, no one was endangered. The police had to use heavy equipment to remove us. The CRS (special riot unit of the police) were not skilful! The train was stopped for more than two hours.

We were led off in handcuffs like serious criminals and the death train drove on at 1:25 pm.

It was one of the most successful blockades in France yet, I think it was the second…..great mood….the two “chainees” were put in detention and released again in the evening. The other activists had their data taken down and released. Two had been questioned.

By this action the activists wanted to alert the population to the dangers of atomic power and atomic waste transports.

For about a year it’s has been even more difficult to inform about atomic power because a lot of information is classified as state secrets.

We also wanted to show the atom lobby that we are able to defend ourselves, despite the weakness of the anti-atomic movement in France (compared to Germany, where thousands demonstrate…).

Pictures and film of the action will follow.


Shocked


BUT our joy didn’t last long … The accident happened about an hour later.


I received the sad news from Avricourt when I was still in police detention.

A smiling policeman came to me and said, “I’ve got bad news for you, the train has just run over a person”.

I was and am still shocked and enraged. It was all the more difficult being in a cell on my own, unable to talk to people. …. The people had tried to stop the train, just like us. For reasons unknown to me the train didn’t stop.

I suspect the train was too fast and the helicopter wasn’t there.

Our action group does NOT know the other, but we are all shocked and express our solidarity. The group was just as experienced as ours (although unfortunately the press has reported the contrary).

I was not there and want to say no more about the accident. I don’t want to judge.

I’m thinking about Sébastien today ... the burial will be today and this evening mourning demonstrations will take place in France, at railway stations in many towns. …

Many thanks, too, for the solidarity from Germany. We need that! We don’t want heroes or martyrs …. We get in the way because ATOMIC POWER kills. The atom-state is to blame!!!


Press needs sensation …. the confusion


The press reported appallingly on the events: pictures of our action with reports about the fatality. This caused confusion….but the press wants pictures, it needs sensation….Only the newspaper "Est Républicain" reported the events fairly well.


THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

We are all in shock and need time to think. But we will keep getting in the way.

Atomic power kills daily. Usually it’s a slow death: leukaemia in children round the La Hague processing plant, irradiated workers in “normal” operations of power stations, exploitation and illnesses in Africa and wherever else uranium is mined…


We must organise our defence. We two “chainees” are accused of interference with rail traffic. The state attorney is investigating and will announce in the few days whether we’re to be charged, which is likely.

We will conduct political trials. The judiciary are also investigating whether the two informal groups know each other.

We need direct action!!! Chaining actions will continue. At least I hope so. Especially in France, where usually there is no discussion of atomic power.

New atomic power stations are even being built (EPR reactor). No one takes any notice of “classic” demonstrations. Direct actions and imagination remain a strength....


To be honest, I still need a lot of time to think... I’m thinking about Sébastien... But the resistance must go on, no matter what!!! "Because atomic waste only brings us death we’ll get in the way, we want to live, live, live, we want to live..."

Cécile


Below is an article from the newspaper Est Républicain, for those who understand French.

L'EST REPUBLICAIN
09/11/04

« C'est le nucléaire qui l'a tué »

NANCY. - Elle était, dimanche, l'un des deux manifestants qui se sont arrimés aux rails à Laneuveville-devant-Nancy, bloquant le convoi de déchets pendant deux heures. Placée en garde à vue, Cécile, 22 ans, a été libérée dans la soirée, après avoir appris le drame d'Avricourt de la bouche d'un
policier. « J'étais secouée. Et c'était d'autant plus difficile que je n'avais pas de contact avec l'extérieur ».

Non, Cécile ne connaissait pas le jeune Meusien qui a perdu la vie. Mais pour elle « c'est le nucléaire qui l'a tué ». Elle estime d'ailleurs que cet accident n'aurait pas dû arriver, que la sécurité n'était pas assurée.

L'hélicoptère de surveillance était absent. Il aurait dû refaire le plein pendant que nous nous bloquions le convoi à Laneuveville ».

Elle marque un instant de silence. Ajoute aussitôt : « Mes pensées vont d'abord vers la personne qui est morte. Mais il y a aussi de la colère. Parce qu'il faut des drames pour que l'on pose la question du nucléaire ».

Alors oui, malgré cette tragédie, elle est prête à retourner sur le ballast s'il le faut pour stopper un autre train. « Parce que c'est un des seuls moyens pour se faire entendre, parce que le nucléaire fait des morts ».

Mais elle insiste sur le fait qu'il faut prendre énormément de précautions. Comme son petit groupe l'avait fait à la sortie de Nancy, en signalant sa présence, en réalisant des signaux lumineux, en attendant l'arrêt du train pour s'attacher au rail.

Hier soir, Cécile devait, bougie à la main, participer à la manifestation prévue en mémoire de Sébastien Briat. Et de répéter : « On pense d'abord à lui ».

(Translated by Diet Simon)








 
supplements
> indymedia.nl > search > archive > help > join > publish news > open newswire > disclaimer > chat
DISCLAIMER: Indymedia NL uses the 'open posting' principle to promote freedom of speech. The news (text, images, audio and video) posted in the open newswire of Indymedia NL remains the property of the author who posted it. The views in these postings do not necesseraly reflect the views of the editorial team of Indymedia NL. Furthermore, it is not always possible to guarantee the accuracy of the postings.