Nuclear waste consignment close to dump
The dump already contains 68 Castors, brought by nine previous consignments. Three more are planned until 2010.
The train was as usual several hours late because protesters stopped it on the line several times in both countries.
The most intense resistance by anti-nuclear activists is usually along that last 20 kilometres. The route is heavily policed, including by helicopters watching the area and carrying units ready to swoop.
In Dannenberg several hundred people gathered in a sitdown blockade at the reloading facility.
On the last bit of the train run from Lüneburg to Dannenberg activists got past police lines at several places in the forests to sit on the rails and stop the train.
Members of the Robin Wood activist group climbed trees and spanned a rope across the track, then suspended themselves from it. Several demonstrators were arrested. For the last kilometres the train moved only at walking pace.
At several places police pushed or roughly hauled protesters off the rails, arresting several.
Near Dannenberg several hundred protesters blocked both roads leading to the waste storage hall and police let them be for the moment.
An activist organiser said if they had to they could maintain the blockade for 24 hours.
Hundreds of people took part on Sunday in many other protest actions throughout the county of Lüchow-Dannenberg, where the village of Gorleben is located.
Organisers claim that up to 7,000 people took part in a demonstration outside the dump compound on Saturday, including 200 farmers with tractors. Pictures at
http://de.indymedia.org/2006/11/161767.shtml.
In the evening farmers with tractors and several hundred activists blocked a road crossing at the village of Metzingen, where straw bales were burnt on the road before the activists dispersed during the night.
Photos of resistance at Metzingen and Harlingen:
http://de.indymedia.org/2006/11/161785.shtml
http://goehrde.plentyfact.net/2006-09metz_brennt.htm
Earlier reporting here on the Castor consignment:
http://de.indymedia.org/2006/11/161766.shtml
http://de.indymedia.org/2006/11/161759.shtml.
Activists’ reports of two incidents:
75-minute train stoppage
At 11.15 on Sunday a group of forest strollers unexpectedly came to a railway line near Eichdorf and, exhausted after their long stroll, sat down on the rails. People coming from faraway parts like the Ruhr district, Münsterland and Lower Rhine need a chance to get their bearings. But the green occupation force (police) had little understanding for that and moved in with 15 personnel vans, encircled those present – but the Castor was stopped. After the hikers were locked into the circle, police faced the next surprise: right next to the rails a hedge burned. The mood was very good. Unfortunately the Castor train ultimately got to move on. When in Leitstade Robin Wood went into the trees, the Castor was stopped again right next to the hiking group, this time for 75 minutes. The mood was very good. The Castor ultimately moved on but all hiking fans were able to go home without having their personal data taken down. And there’s always another time! Some refreshments in a hurry, then on to the roads! Many thanks to the folks of Camp Nahrendorf – we’ll be back next year with even more people. And we invite everyone to Münsterland – Ahaus and Gronau are also two lovely places with interesting atomic installations... At Ahaus is a similar light-construction hall for nuclear waste, Gronau has Germany’s only uranium enrichment plant, slated to be massively expanded.)
More at www.mega-waltrop.de, www.bi-ahaus.de, www.aktionsbuendnis-muensterland.de, www.sofa-ms.de
Indiscriminate police beatings
At about 9 pm Saturday about 70 police stormed towards small groups of activists moving between the Metzingen protest camp and a blocked road junction. Since this appeared very martial people ran towards the camp, pursued by the squads. The cops indiscriminately beat anyone they came across with truncheons. The police invaded the circular village and even a farmyard, where they were stopped by determined activists and ultimately pushed back out. Later a lost police pistol was handed back to the unit commander. At first police had only redirected traffic. But when this was no longer possible from 8.15 pm there came an abrupt change at thje big lantern march in Metzingen at about 9 p.m. Strong forces with units from east Holstein, Oldenburg, Hanover and Cologne were drawn in from all four sides. Two squads of a 100-strong unit in battle dress formed up immediately after arrival to storm across a flower field. Many protesters not ready for this fled as fast as they could. The entrance to the village is normally indicated with signs and drums as a police no-go zone, which is usually respected, since a few years ago a too cheeky squad were locked in at this place. In this latest raid the police not only crashed this boundary but for the first time even entered the narrow passage into the farmyard. Meanwhile enough people had twigged to what was going on and formed a determined block that was able to stop the invaders. Step by step they had to move back. During their retreat to their colleagues residents of the Göhrde village stayed at their heels to demand the release of arrested demonstrators. This was achieved after some furious exchanges. The following camp plenum also dealt with a request a lawyer convey from the squad leader: a police pistol had got lost in the melee and the police were very keen to find it, preferably without stress. In case anyone could help with information, he’d be awfully grateful. People had heard a metallic noise indicating something had fallen out of a policeman’s pocket. So that nothing could happen they took the weapon into safekeeping. After an examination showed the Heckler&Koch had fallen so haplessly that it could no longer be used to shoot, they entrusted it to the lawyer to hand back to police. At the public handover (with media present) the lawyer pointed out how inappropriately police repeatedly acted against demonstrators. In his reply the squad commander found nice words of regret for the police action. He said he could not understand how it could have happened. Very personally and as a human being he said he was thankful for the behaviour shown. He said he saw it as a responsible contribution to de-escalation. But he refused the demand to release tractors confiscated the previous day.
For 379 mainstream media reports in German: http://news.google.com.au/news?ned=de
For mainstream media reports in English http://news.google.com.au/news?hl=en&ned=au&q=Gorleben&btnG=Search+News
The train was as usual several hours late because protesters stopped it on the line several times in both countries.
The most intense resistance by anti-nuclear activists is usually along that last 20 kilometres. The route is heavily policed, including by helicopters watching the area and carrying units ready to swoop.
In Dannenberg several hundred people gathered in a sitdown blockade at the reloading facility.
On the last bit of the train run from Lüneburg to Dannenberg activists got past police lines at several places in the forests to sit on the rails and stop the train.
Members of the Robin Wood activist group climbed trees and spanned a rope across the track, then suspended themselves from it. Several demonstrators were arrested. For the last kilometres the train moved only at walking pace.
At several places police pushed or roughly hauled protesters off the rails, arresting several.
Near Dannenberg several hundred protesters blocked both roads leading to the waste storage hall and police let them be for the moment.
An activist organiser said if they had to they could maintain the blockade for 24 hours.
Hundreds of people took part on Sunday in many other protest actions throughout the county of Lüchow-Dannenberg, where the village of Gorleben is located.
Organisers claim that up to 7,000 people took part in a demonstration outside the dump compound on Saturday, including 200 farmers with tractors. Pictures at
http://de.indymedia.org/2006/11/161767.shtml. In the evening farmers with tractors and several hundred activists blocked a road crossing at the village of Metzingen, where straw bales were burnt on the road before the activists dispersed during the night.
Photos of resistance at Metzingen and Harlingen:
http://de.indymedia.org/2006/11/161785.shtml http://goehrde.plentyfact.net/2006-09metz_brennt.htm Earlier reporting here on the Castor consignment:
http://de.indymedia.org/2006/11/161766.shtml http://de.indymedia.org/2006/11/161759.shtml. Activists’ reports of two incidents:
75-minute train stoppage
At 11.15 on Sunday a group of forest strollers unexpectedly came to a railway line near Eichdorf and, exhausted after their long stroll, sat down on the rails. People coming from faraway parts like the Ruhr district, Münsterland and Lower Rhine need a chance to get their bearings. But the green occupation force (police) had little understanding for that and moved in with 15 personnel vans, encircled those present – but the Castor was stopped. After the hikers were locked into the circle, police faced the next surprise: right next to the rails a hedge burned. The mood was very good. Unfortunately the Castor train ultimately got to move on. When in Leitstade Robin Wood went into the trees, the Castor was stopped again right next to the hiking group, this time for 75 minutes. The mood was very good. The Castor ultimately moved on but all hiking fans were able to go home without having their personal data taken down. And there’s always another time! Some refreshments in a hurry, then on to the roads! Many thanks to the folks of Camp Nahrendorf – we’ll be back next year with even more people. And we invite everyone to Münsterland – Ahaus and Gronau are also two lovely places with interesting atomic installations... At Ahaus is a similar light-construction hall for nuclear waste, Gronau has Germany’s only uranium enrichment plant, slated to be massively expanded.)
More at www.mega-waltrop.de, www.bi-ahaus.de, www.aktionsbuendnis-muensterland.de, www.sofa-ms.de
Indiscriminate police beatings
At about 9 pm Saturday about 70 police stormed towards small groups of activists moving between the Metzingen protest camp and a blocked road junction. Since this appeared very martial people ran towards the camp, pursued by the squads. The cops indiscriminately beat anyone they came across with truncheons. The police invaded the circular village and even a farmyard, where they were stopped by determined activists and ultimately pushed back out. Later a lost police pistol was handed back to the unit commander. At first police had only redirected traffic. But when this was no longer possible from 8.15 pm there came an abrupt change at thje big lantern march in Metzingen at about 9 p.m. Strong forces with units from east Holstein, Oldenburg, Hanover and Cologne were drawn in from all four sides. Two squads of a 100-strong unit in battle dress formed up immediately after arrival to storm across a flower field. Many protesters not ready for this fled as fast as they could. The entrance to the village is normally indicated with signs and drums as a police no-go zone, which is usually respected, since a few years ago a too cheeky squad were locked in at this place. In this latest raid the police not only crashed this boundary but for the first time even entered the narrow passage into the farmyard. Meanwhile enough people had twigged to what was going on and formed a determined block that was able to stop the invaders. Step by step they had to move back. During their retreat to their colleagues residents of the Göhrde village stayed at their heels to demand the release of arrested demonstrators. This was achieved after some furious exchanges. The following camp plenum also dealt with a request a lawyer convey from the squad leader: a police pistol had got lost in the melee and the police were very keen to find it, preferably without stress. In case anyone could help with information, he’d be awfully grateful. People had heard a metallic noise indicating something had fallen out of a policeman’s pocket. So that nothing could happen they took the weapon into safekeeping. After an examination showed the Heckler&Koch had fallen so haplessly that it could no longer be used to shoot, they entrusted it to the lawyer to hand back to police. At the public handover (with media present) the lawyer pointed out how inappropriately police repeatedly acted against demonstrators. In his reply the squad commander found nice words of regret for the police action. He said he could not understand how it could have happened. Very personally and as a human being he said he was thankful for the behaviour shown. He said he saw it as a responsible contribution to de-escalation. But he refused the demand to release tractors confiscated the previous day.
For 379 mainstream media reports in German:
http://news.google.com.au/news?ned=de For mainstream media reports in English
http://news.google.com.au/news?hl=en&ned=au&q=Gorleben&btnG=Search+News
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(Moderationskriterien von Indymedia Deutschland)
Ergänzungen
More pictures from Metzingen/Harlingen