(December 22, 1989) Anti-nuclear activists in Poland and France have coordinated their protests against nuclear power in an international hunger strike action.
(323-324.3238) WISE Amsterdam - Indeed, the protests, going on now for about two weeks, have received international support. The protests are in opposition to the nearly completed nuclear power plant Golfech in France and the Zarnowiec nuclear power plant in Poland.
The French group "Vivre Sans le Danger Nucleaire de Golfech", which is supported by Friends of the Earth, want to stop the Golfech plant from being loaded with nuclear fuel. The group protests regularly with demonstrations and by collecting signatures all over Europe. On Tuesday, 12 December, they demonstrated in Paris to emphasize their arguments while a debate on this topic was being held in Parliament.
Since 3 December, six people have been on a long-term fast at Golfech. The first such hunger strike took place at the Golfech-1 reactor in Tarn et Garonne in June (see WISE News Communique's 315.2157 and 317.2172). The activists are under surveillance, day and night, by plant security men and their dogs. According to Vivre Sans le Danger Nucleaire de Golf ech, different enquiries and the growing public awareness activated by the anti-nuclear movement, have pushed local politicians to demand guarantees of security. These guarantees are still not enough in the opinion of the six activists from Vivre Sans le Danger Nucleaire de Golfech. They are demanding a real dialogue and accurate information leading up to a national consultation.
Their demands also include a public debate, the establishment of a commission of specialists and representatives of all political tendencies, public televised auditions of relevant representatives and associations who wish to give an opinion on the country's energy policies, and the publication of a report and the defining of a new energy program. Meanwhile, the fast will continue, say the activists, as long as their strength allows and until they obtain significant replies to their demands. Future actions will include demonstrations at Golfech every Sunday, a postcard to Mitterand (to order), split payment of bills from the state-owned utility Electricite de France (EdF), a petition, etc.
In Gdynia, Poland the hunger strike to protest against the continuation of the construction of the nuclear power plant Zarnowiec, which began in 1981, has been going on for over one month. After a protest in Warsaw on 3 November in front of the Ministry of Economy, antinuclear demonstrators were attacked by a group of bullies and it is assumed that these attacks were in fact led by the Polish Secret Police.
In the beginning of December, a Yugoslavian ship carried reactor construction parts for Zarnowiec from the Czechoslovakian SKODA company to the Gdynia harbor. Polish environmentalists organized a blockade to the harbour to stop the materials being transported to Gdynia. This action was supported by many different groups and also the local people and managed to stop further transport (see WISE News Communique 322.3226).
About fifty environmentalists Joined the blockade, from which, ten people, in turns, began hunger strikes every day. According to the spokesperson of this action, Tomasz Wodecki, on 12 December, there were eight people participating in the hunger strike. But, on 14 December, 35 of the workers hired to build the plant brutally beat the activists and the blockade was broken. The police were said to have looked on without doing anything. The same day ten different activists went on a hunger strike, after a break of a few days. The reactor has now been sent to the military harbor, but it is not certain what will happen. Meanwhile, the demonstrations continue.
Demonstrators and local officials are now waiting on the government's decision and expect that the government will hold the a demanded referendum. With this (as surveys already show), the one and only Polish nuclear power and prestige project would be brought to a halt.
Environmentalists throughout Europe are calling for support of the protests against the nuclear plans of the socialist governments in the West and the non-communist government in the East(!).
Sources:
- BUND-jugend Polen AG, Axel Horn, (press release)
- letter from Vivre Sans le Danger Nucleaire de Golf ech; Nature and Youth (Norway), 16 December 1989, (fax).
Contact: Vivre Sans le Danger Nucleaire de Golfech, BP 343, 47008 AGEN cedex, Permanence Telephonique 63 29 16 54 or 53 67 45 34, (in English 53 95 38 31)
Jim Rowe, Canazille, 47270 St. Maurin, France, tel: 53953831
Axel Horn, c/o BUNDjugend Polen AG, Hans-Leipelt Str. 8/10, D-8000 München, FRG, tel: 089-3232121
Signature lists concerning Golfech can be ordered from: FoE, c/o Michael Harper, 26-28 Underwood Street, London Ni 7JQ, UK, tel: 01-4901555
For actual news about Zarnowiec write: Jezry Paczka, ul. Nowomiejskiego 16/2, 80-275 Gdansk, Polen, tel: 0(048)/21-31-80
Nature and Youth planned support actions for 19 December: tel: 47 2 364218, fax: 472 204594.