Several thousand at anti-nuclear protest
Diet Simon - 07.11.2005 16:34
Several thousand people from across Germany – police say 2,600, organisers say up to 7,000 – demonstrated against nuclear industry in Lüneburg, northern Germany, on Saturday.
Although mainstream media said the demonstration was peaceful, an eyewitness writing on the German Independent Media Centre site ( http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/131779.shtml) spoke of “brutal” police methods in trying to stop protesters moving into a banned area.
The eyewitness wrote of beatings with truncheons and fists, and kicking by police. “As an acquaintance of mine tried to escape into a different street, a policeman smashed his head against a house wall and threw a bicycle on him.”
The writer also reported massive use by police of still and video cameras “presumably for later legal proceedings”. The report includes some very expressive photos.
Although authorities had changed the route of the protest march, expecting 10,000 participants, and despite “a few acts of violence by the police” the writer speaks of “a great success of the anti-nuclear movement”. More pictures at http://www.subkontur.de/index.html.
The demonstration was called by an alliance of anti-nuclear, environment-activist, peace-activist and anti-globalisation groups.
It took place about two weeks ahead of the railing and trucking of another 12 Castor nuclear waste caskets from northern France to the village of Gorleben about 70 kilometres from Lüneburg for “interim storage” in a light-construction hall.
At http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/131708.shtml is a video clip (4 ½ minutes) giving a taste of the mood of the demo.
And at http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/131705.shtml is a report on a “rent-a-demo” action. Flyers passed to onlookers, like people sitting in cafès along the route:
“Excuse me, have you got a moment? Yes, I mean you! May I introduce myself?
“I’m from RESISTANCE TO GO! I’M NOT DUMB….”
“No time, tired legs and always got a cold, anyway? We’ll do your resisting for you! We’ll do it for you!
“You’re laughing, but this is reality for us! We’re a service enterprise. In these belt-tightening times EVERYTHING’S being privatised, we privatise resistance! Buy, buy, buy, we’ll do that for you!”
The demonstration was also meant as a signal to the conservative CDU and social democrat SPD parties trying to form a coalition government in Berlin.
Nuclear policy is a main issue. The Social Democrats want to hold to the exit from the technology agreed with the power producers, the Conservatives want to keep power stations running longer than in the agreement.
At http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/131639.shtml is a report about a spontaneous lantern procession after the big demo in which about 100 youths and families with children took part to protest against the waste transportation and the curbs on demonstrating. The lantern carriers moved twice around the square that had earlier been banned to the demo. About 200 police accompanied this group (of 100!) and blocked off side streets.
This evening (7.11.) a vigil is to be held at Lüneburg railway station in memory of Sébastien Briat, a 22-year-old French student run over and killed on this date in France by last year’s Castor train. Vigils are planned for 6 p.m. at many railways stations throughout Germany. N'oublions pas Sébastien, n'oublions pas son combat, stopp Castor!
Briat was pulled in by the turbulence created by the train, travelling at 98 kph. French prosecutors are still investigating against the railways corporation.
On a meadow at Seerau near Hitzacker nuclear opponents have prepared a vigil with a minute’s silence. A music group, "Archille und Kumpel" from the opponents of the final nuclear storage site planned for Bure in France, who’ve come especially for the occasion, will then perform resistance songs. Visitors are asked to bring along lanterns, torches and candles. To conclude, a delegation plans to lay flowers on the rails.
A spokesman for the Gorleben resistance has criticised the running schedule for the next Castor train (see below) as indicating that it is again going to be irresponsibly running too fast.
At http://germany.indymedia.org/openposting/index2373.shtml is a report about 250 mostly young nuclear opponents demonstrating along the railway line from Lüneburg to Dannenberg, the last part of the rail journey of the next 12 Castors. Outside the facility for transferring the caskets to trucks there was a short, symbolic sit-down blockade.
Meanwhile the regional police directorate in Lüneburg has again issued a “general order” banning demonstrations in a 70 km corridor from Lüneburg to Dannenberg. In past years actual policing went beyond the 50-metre width of the corridor, the ban zone being spontaneously expanded from 50 to 500 or even 5,000 metres.
The Gorleben resistance intends to start mobilising on 18 November. More protest actions are planned. More pictures at http://www.randbild.de.
At http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/131738.shtml the French group sortons du nucléaire! has published the route and time table of the next Castor train up to the Franco-German border, though they risk serious legal action because the information is classified as a "secret défense" (= defence secret) and publication could get them into serious legal trouble.
sortons du nucléaire! says “The government justifies the [publication] ban by terrorists being able to use the schedule to prepare attacks on Castor transports.”
According to this schedule, the train will leave Valognes in Normandy at 5.20 p.m. on 19 November (three hours earlier than last year), run through Carentan, Lison, Le Molay Littry, 18:22 Bayeux, 18:46 Caen, 19:00 Moult Argences, 19:08 Mézidon, 19:26 Lisieux Lecaude, 19:41 Lisieux bifurcation Trouvilles, 19:59 Lisieux Saint Paul, 20:16 Bernay,
20:19 Lisieux Sortie, Serquigny raccordement Paris, Brionne, Glos, Bourgtheroulde, Elbeuf Saint Aubin, Oissel bifurcation Tourville, Sotteville-lès-Rouen Triage Mixte, Morgny-la-Pommeraye, Monterolier, Serqueux, Formerie, Abancourt, Fouilloy, Poix de Picardie, Namps, Saleux,
on Sunday 20 November
Saint Roch, Amiens, Longueau Poste 2, Longueau Relais de Rouen, Longueau Poste 6, Longueau Bif Camon, Corbie, Albert, Achiet, Boisleux, Arras Poste 1, Arras Voyageurs, Corbehem, Douai Bif Saint Eloi, Douai Bif Sin, Somain, Beuvrages, Valenciennes, Le Poirier, Le Quesnoy, Aulnoye-Aymeries, Avesnes, Fourmies, Hirson, Aubenton,
Liart, Rouvroy l'Echelle, Tournes, Charleville-Mézières, Mohon, Lumes, Sedan, Pouru Brevilly, Carignan, Margot Fromy, Montmédy,
Charency, Longuyon Voyageurs, Spincourt, Baroncourt, Gondrecourt,
Conflans Jarny, Chambley, Onville Voyageurs, Pagny sur Moselle Voyageurs, Pont à Mousson, Dieulouard, Belleville, Frouard, Champigneules, Nancy Voyageurs, Jarville la Malgrange, Varangeville,
Blainville Triage Relais, Blainville gare, Luneville, Embermenil,
Igney Avricourt, Sarrebourg, Reding, Lutzelbourg, Saverne, Hochfelden, Hochfelden Evit, Mommenheim, Brumath, Vendenheim,
Hausbergen, Bischheim, Reischtett, La Wantzenau, Gambsheim, Herrlisheim, Drusenheim, Sessenheim, Roeschwoog, Beinheim, Seltz,
Mothern, Lauterbourg, Wörth am Rhein.
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