Nuclear – Page 14 – Earth First!

Call out for solidarity anti-nuke actions on 26th April (Chernobyl Day)

A call out for common actions against the construction of a new nuclear power station

Present-day Belarus is a post soviet country, on which territory a regime, police state in form and neoliberal in essence, fortified its position. For already 14 years the country is run by one and the same person Alexander Lukashenko, a populist at the beginning of his governing and openly pursuing antisocial reforms now. The freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly is not about our country. These basic values as well as the political opposition are suppressed. Peaceful gatherings dispersions, political trials, preventive detentions all this has become a norm of political practice in Belarus.

A few years ago the ruling top started to consider another venturesome project the construction of a nuclear power station (NPS). Lukashenko took a decision regardless of the public wishes and common sense. The decision was made with the active support of the international nuclear lobby. The construction is to be undertaken by a Russian corporation Rosatom. It is to be held in a seismically active zone, in a dozen kilometers away from Lake Naroch the largest lake in Belarus, which is ecologically unique for our country and is a tourists and holiday-makers attraction. On the construction will be spent $4 billion, which otherwise could be outlaid for alternative energy means development.

But the above-listed points pale before the fact that Belarus shared 70% of radioactive contamination after Chernobyl nuclear accident. But the government and the president are absolutely not concerned about that. They want to create a delayed-action bomb in the country, where one third of the territory is unfit for farming and berries/mushrooms gathering.

We, Antinuclear resistance, an anarchy group, come out against nuclear power engineering on the whole and against the NPS construction specifically in Belarus. A part of political forces in Belarus, including opposition, supported the NPS construction. Unlike them we do not believe in NPS safety irrespective of the political regime, within which it is functioning and being constructed. Our activity is based upon non-authoritarian principles, we do not cooperate with any political parties on a regular base, but with ecological organizations and grassroots initiatives.

On 26 April, the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, an annual demonstration Charnobylski Shlah (The Chernobyl Path) takes place in commemoration of the accident and the people who fell the immediate and lingering victims of it. Starting with the year of 1996 anarchists take part in the demo with ecological and antinuclear slogans. But nowadays the demonstration, instead of just mourning and commemorative event, is
gaining a protest mood: in the country, where dozens of thousands people have died as a result of the nuclear accident aftermaths and hundreds of thousands have acquired accident-caused illnesses or become handicapped, a new NPS is to be constructed! And that is done according to the common regulations of an authoritarian police state not asking the peoples opinion, but just confronting them with the fact.

On 26 April we will again take a most active part in the Charnobylski Shlah (The Chernobyl Path), well try to pass along to everyone our clear antinuclear position, will inform as many people as possible of the approaching danger. But now it is not enough! As an instrument of struggle against the state lawlessness we rely on the international support. We urge anarchists, environmentalists, antiauthoritarians of the world to carry out solidarity actions on 26 April 2009. We call for a decentralized day of action of any form, which could help people learn something about our problem and stop the impudent authority and their sponsors from IAEA.

If you already take actions on 26 April on your local problems concerning nuclear power engineering, please put on your list the demand for abolition of the NSP construction in Belarus. You are also welcome to participate in The Chernobyl Path in Minsk and other actions in Belarus.

Together we will be able to stand up for the right for life on a clean and ecologically safe planet!

If you have any intention to make solidarity actions with the Belarussian antinuclear movement or participate in the demonstration in Belarus please contact us:

antiatombel@riseup.net

Spread out the call out through any accessible for you information channels

belarus anarchists
http://belarus.avtonom.org

Stop Incineration Now! SchNEWS Film and Roast Fundraiser !

Stop Incineration Now Film and Roast Fundraiser –
Just released:SchNEWS Film:Wasters:The quirky & inspiring story of a group of climate activists from Stop Incineration Now! & Climate Camp, who occupied the site of proposed Newhaven Incinerator last year, July 2008.
Also featured:The Story of Stuff.
Announcement of International Day of Action against Incineration: 11 July 2009

Address: The Cowley Club, 12 London Road, Brighton BN1 4JA
Directions: From frnt of Brighton Station, turn left down Trafalgar St to end, then left ont o London Road, keep walking till u come to Somerfields, the Club is just a few steps further down the same road.
Nearest Public Transport: Buses on London Road, Brighton train Station
Postcode: BN1 4JA | View Map
Time: 2pm onwards
Price: Nothing to enter, £3.50 donation for roast
Phone: 07505016362
Email: mkechnge7@wildmail.com
Web: http://stopincinerationnownetwork.wordpress.com

Arson attacks on luxury/railway cars, construction machines and airport fencing, Germany

26/01/09: Again cars torched

26/01/09: Again cars torched
22/01/09: Arson attack on cars of the German Railway Service (Deutsche Bahn)
19/01/09: External fence property of the police damaged
14/01/09: Three upperclass cars burned
10/01/09: Two cars and a moto burned down
09/01/09: Unknown persons set construction machines in flames

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Again cars torched

Berlin, 25 of January 2009

Again arsons attacks in Friedrichshain.
In the night to Sunday, three cars got burned.
In the Eldenaerstr. a Porsche Cayenne got torched, together with a Golf parked next to it.
A few minutes later, a passer-by discovered a burning DHL vehicle in the Thaerstr.
The state security took up the investigations.

Source: Berliner Zeitung

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Arson attack on cars of the German Railway Service (Deutsche Bahn)

Berlin, 22 of January 2009

a claim we received:

„Attack the handymen of the nuclear-lobby

Before the Castor’s transport 2008 took place, several railways line have been sabotaged through hookclaws in France and Germany. Shortly afterwards, 9 comrades have been arrested in France, accused of membership within a terrorist organization and of being responsible of the sabotages.
One of them is still in prison.

It is not a new thing, that in France one inprison activist upon antiterror laws. Already in January 2008, it came to the imprisonment of five persons, described by cops and press as part of the „ultraleftists, anarcho-autonomen“ movement, and they are waiting since then for their trial, in the dungeons of the french justice.

Such a way of proceeding seems to be a strong trend within european authorities responsible for the security issues. Also the german state security works a lot on its terrorist-construction, which newly landed in a trial against alleged members of the Militant Group.
In Greece, 13 youths are sitting in prison since the beginning of the December insurrection, also confronted with the antiterror paragraph.

That is why on the 22 of January we torched 5 cars of the Deutsche Bahn during the action week for the Tarnac 9.

As long as the Deutsche Bahn will keep on offering its railways for the nuclear transport, they will remain always a target of our protest.

Solidarity means attack

a few „ultra-leftists-anarcho-autonome“.“

More pictures here: http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/foto/
_bin/index.php/Berliner+Zeitung/wieder_brannten_autos/2

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External fence property of the police damaged

Frankfurt’s airport, 19 of January 2009

Monday the 19.1.09 one reckoned that unknown persons damaged the external fence put by the police had been seriously damaged, precisely on its northern and western side.

The amount of the damage is quite high.

Tuesday the 20.1.09, a group, which is clearly against the expansion of the airport and calls itself „frankfurt’s general sweeping blow“ (n.t.: wordgame in german, the group name is almost the same as the one of the most important frankfurt’s newspaper), took responsability for the attack by sending a claim.
Solidarity with the „frankfurt’s common sweeping blow“!

Source: http://waldbesetzung.blogsport.de

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Three upperclass cars burned

Berlin, 14 of January 2008

Three cars have been destroyed by arson on the early hours of wednesday.
A passer byer notice a mercedes burning in the Wienerstr. (Kreuzberg) around 2.20am and called the cops. The firebrigade came to extinguish the fire, the car got seriously damaged though.

At Michaelkirchplatz, Mitte, a bmw burned around 3.15am.
Just 100m faraway, in Leuschnerdamm, Kreuzberg, another bmw burned. The fire brigade extinguished both fires. The cops suspect a political motivation behind the actions, state security investigates.

Source: Tagespiegel

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Two cars and a moto burned down

Berlin, 10 of January 2009

Unknown person set last night a car and a moto on fire, in the Gethsemanestraße. The moto was a bmw, an opel car parked next got also damaged. Few minuted later, cops reckoned that an audi parked in the area was also in flames.

Since cops believe a political motivation behind the facts, state security investigates.

Source: Tagespiegel

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Unknown persons set construction machines in flames

Berlin, 9 of January 2009

Unknown persons set up several construction machines in flames, it happened on a construction site in Pankow.
Inhabitants saw the flames on the spot, sited in the Richard-Ermisch-straße and called the cops.
A digger and two radlader got burned. State securtiy investigates, since a political motivation is believed, there is no trace of the authors.

Source: ddp

infos about the construction site: http://www.concepta-stadthaeuser.de/en/news/building-projects.html

Note for english speaking persons: several luxurious houses are being build on this spot, close to an area where several houseprojects are located.

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direct action news from greece
http://directactionde.blogspot.com

Castor anti-nuclear blockade finally broken & other actions

Edited direct action highlights from http://www.castor.de/ticker/index_en.html –

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
20 hours later than planned, after many convincing, creative blockades, the CASTOR road transport reached the Gorleben interim storage depot at 00:39 am on Tuesday 11 November

Edited direct action highlights from http://www.castor.de/ticker/index_en.html –

Monday, November 10, 2008
10:33 pm The water cannons in Laase are to prevent people moving into the 50m no-go zone and onto the road.
10:16 pm Several hundred people are on the transport route in Laase. Police are using water cannons.
10:13 pm In Grippel the last activist was removed from the pyramid.
10:02 pm Colourful activity by 100 people in Laase to the left and right of the route.
10:01 pm Grippel: The last person is still chained to the pyramid and there are still 150 people present. The mood is good and there’s good music.
9:53 pm Only one tractor still standing in the way in Quickborn. It’s lost a wheel. Police are using heavy equipment. It’s estimated on location that it will take 30 minutes until the northern route (via Quickborn) is completely free.
9:40 pm In Grippel only one pyramid with one person chained on is left on the road. In Quickborn two tractors are left on the road that seem to be causing the police some problems.
7:44 pm Dear people, we’ve managed to make this the longest CASTOR transport ever. Super!!!!! Stay cool, we have plenty to celebrate.
6:07 pm Press release by the Lüchow-Dannenberg Farmers’ Emergency Association Against Nuclear Power. The chained-on demonstrators in Grippel demand negotiations. After 8 people chained themselves to two concrete blocks in Grippel on the CASTOR trucking route, the detachment of the protesters from the blocks is proving very difficult and time-consuming for the police. It’s estimated that the procedure could take several hours. The chained people, members of the Lüchow-Dannenberg Farmers’ Emergency Association Against Nuclear Power, want to negotiate with a representative of the Lower Saxony state government, say a state secretary.
5:45 pm In Grippel at the pyramid blockade police have detached the first person from the pyramid. The top of this pyramid was not sawn off.
5:33 pm In Grippel the top has been sawn off the pyramid pointing to Gartow. It didn’t provide the police with any clues. Nor can the pyramids be moved because the chained-on arms would be broken. A plan to lift them was given up.
Around 5:11 pm all Robin Wood activists at the waste compound were taken out of the trees by police.
4:13 pm From the Robin Wood rope bridge 300 metres from the storage compound are suspended not 2 but 6 activists.
4:08 pm Police have carried off all the sitters outside the waste compound. But the tractor is still there with two people chained to it.
4:02 pm The work on the concrete pyramids in Grippel is progressing poorly. A second demolition team is brought in. The people are as good as possible under the circumstances.
3:22 pm In the blockade at the waste compound three people have chained themselves to a tractor.
2:56 pm Grippel: The generator is working again and police are preparing to illuminate the action. 350 people still there.
2:53 pm Quickborn: Still 25 tractors on the road, 100 people, increased police presence. The climber is off the elevating truck but it took the police a long time. Two new activists suspended in trees.
2:50 pm Nothing moving at the reloading crane. The carrying people out of the blockade at the sorage compound is proceeding only slowly. The pyramids in Grippel with the people chained to them are still on the road.
2:41 pm The generator of the police in Grippel has broken down, leaving the drill stuck in the pyramid.
2:38 pm In Grippel police begin drilling open the concrete pyramids.
2:06 pm In Grippel police built a roof for the farmers chained to the concrete pyramid. Sit-down blockaders were not to stay there and were removed by police.
1:40 pm The climber on the elevating truck has chained himself on.
1:40 pm In Quickborn a climber has climbed from a tractor onto the elevating truck of the police. The police have been busy with this activist for a considerable time and now needs another crane to get him off the elevating truck.
11:20 am Police have made the 3rd call to vacate the area at the storage compound.
11:17 am In Grippel stand two concrete pyramids with four people chained to each. Currently there are 30 to 40 people there to support them. Visitors should bring coffee and cake and perhaps an umbrella.
11:11 am In Grippel members of a farmers resistance group have chained themselves to concrete pyramids.
11:10 am In Laase 150 people are moving in the direction of the dike.
11:06 am At the blockade of the storage compound police have made the second call to vacate the area.
7 am Now about 1,000 people sitting outside the waste storage compound in Gorleben.
Report in English on blockades on the tracks at Harlingen http://de.indymedia.org/2008/11/231949.shtml.
Claims of extreme police brutality in breaking up blockades under cover of darkness,
beating people with truncheons without warning and pursuing them up to 150 metres into woods at http://de.indymedia.org/2008/11/231982.shtml.
00:03 am: The three CASTOR occupiers were arrested.

===

Sunday, November 09, 2008
11:52 pm Brutal dispersal with gas at one of the Tollendorf blockades. First Aiders and lawyers are not being allowed through.
11:39 pm Three people are sitting on the first CASTOR casket.
11:16 pm The people taken by police out of the demo in Tollendorf were taken behind police barricades into a cordon. The mood is relaxed. In the cordon the clowns are dancing. One can approach up to 50 metres outside the cordon.
10:21 pm In Dumsdorf 30 people are in a sit-down blockade.
22:11 pm The Robin Wood activists were removed from the Oldendorf Bridge, they were not injured.
9:40 pm Robin Wood has two actions. The first is at Oldendorf Bridge. Police threaten to cut down the two activists there. The other is in Wendisch Evern , where parallel to the track a large banner was hung.
9:19 pm 500 people sitting down at rail km 188.
9:04 pm 50 clowns on the track in Grünhagen.
8:57 pm Two activists are hanging from the Oldendorf Bridge, a third has just been led off by police.
8:52 pm Tractors are parked in Quickborn so that a car can still get through, but no CASTOR trucks.
8:12 pm Police have removed two people chained to the track near Eichdorf and are taking them to the prisoner collection point.
6:54 pm Around 6:15 pm route B126 in Metzingen at the snack stand was not passable. There was fire on the road.
6:18 pm The two activists in Lüneburg are still hanging in traverses next to the track. But police high rescue specialists are getting ready to remove them.
6:17 pm 60-70 people on the Oldendorf Bridge. In Metzingen tires are burning on the federal road. There is no more getting through there on federal route 216.
6:03 pm The blockade in Gedelitz at the Free Republic of Wendland managed to force the Hamburg police unit with its heavy gear such as water cannon to retreat all the way through the village.
5:33 pm At the dwarves party of WiderSetzen are 400 people. The mood is good and no dispersal is in sight.
5:27 pm Between Eichdorf and Nahrendorf 25 people are sitting on the rails. No police present. And at rail km 202 (i.e. further west) 70 people are on the tracks.
5:22 pm In Harlingen between rail kms 187 and 188 a giant party is going on with several hundred dwarves.
5:15 pm “Widersetzen” is back on the rails in Harlingen with about 150 people, this time at rail km 188.1.
4:53 pm 50 people at a chain-on action by two people at km 198.2 in Eichdorf.
4:30 pm There is a sit-down blockade between Oldendorf a.d. Göhrde and Eichdorf with more than 100 people.
4:22 pm There are again two blockades in Harlingen. A new one is at rail km 188.5.
4:15 pm The blockade at Harlingen at km 187.8 has been completely dispersed.
4:13 pm Clarification: The damage to rails at Grünhagen is in County Lüchow-Dannenberg, NOT in Grünhagen on the ICE express route Uelzen – Lüneburg.
3:12 pm Near Tollendorf at Km 188 about 100 people have made it on to the track.

—

Sunday, November 09, 2008 at 15:02:08 (CET)

PEOPLE HURT NEAR TOLLENDORF: A blockade- action near Tollendorf faced strong repression by the police. Hundreds of people met in Tollendorf today at 7.30 to continue to the tracks, where the Castor-transport is supposed to go through later in the afternoon. We walked in a huge queue along the forest-path, leaving behind us minor tree-blokades for the police-vans. After walking about a 1km,there was a road in front of us .There, a lot of police was standing already, about 20 metres apart. There was no other choice than try to get running thourough the lines. Lots of people in front of us made it, but we saw some people getting caught or being pushed back by the cops. The more we waited, the harder it was to get through, because more police-vans were arriving all the time. So, the cat and mouse -game started. I saw a police reaching to a person in front of me and I ran across. There was nothing to be done for the people who couldnt get across. Some of them tried other routes. So, we continued towards the tracks, that were really close to us already. But, the police was there waiting for us wearing full riot-gear and having watertanks in the backround. We got settled to the tracks as fast as we could, blockaders spread the huge plastic-material to cover themselves, and we began digging the stones off the side of the tracks to get better resistance positions… And after announcing three times the illegality of our action, the cops attacked. They used violent force and started hitting people with batons. Many got some severe pain from pepper-sprays, which was being done straight into individuals’ faces. Water tanks were being used constantly. We got back to the tracks a few times until it was impossible to stay, due to the serious police-violence. So hundreds of people retreated and got scattered in the forest; some ready to look for other ways to get to tracks, some heading back to their camps to gain more power for the other blockades of today. We havent given up. The resistance continues! (Taken from http://de.indymedia.org/2008/11/231840.shtml.)

—

12:50 pm The rail between Lüneburg and Dannenberg has been bent up at km 190.4 (nerar Grünhagen). Track workers are at the location and estimate that the repair could take quite some time.
12:15 pm The storage compound is blockaded. Sheeting was erected as roofs. About 250 people there. Also tractors. Mood is good. A culture programme is being organised. It is still easy to get through.
INJURIES FROM POLICE HORSE, BATONS, PEPPER SPRAY:
10:51H: The horse procession has started, 25 horses and 25 cyclists taking part. Many police present. Mood is good.
10:49h: The news conference of the blockaders of Berg will be at 1.30 pm in the Kulturhaus Mikado in Karlsruhe. At the assembly and vigil in Govelin one person was injured when kicked by a police horse. The injured man suffered a cranial bruise and a torso injury. He is being taken to hospital. Several people were injured by police batons or pepper spray.

—

Sunday, November 09, 2008 at 08:43:20 (CET)

08:26 H: The Robin Wood people hanging in trees outside the waste compound are well. The Red Cross is keeping them supplied with hot drinks. Everything is peaceful. The Robin Wood activists suspended themselves yesterday evening while people gathered to sit down outside the compound to block it. 500 people have arrived in Tollendorf. It reported that the two men and a woman who had chained themselves to the railway track have been arrested by federal police. Before that they were medically examined. Police had protected them against the cold with foil. The woman was the last to be cut from the concrete block after almost 11 ½ hours chained to it. A police spokesman quoted a doctor as saying her condition is problem-free. Four other demonstrators who were also at the blockade point at midday were first carried away by police and later let go.

—

REPAIRS NEEDED: 00:53 am Before the CASTOR train can move on, the rails and the track bed have to be restored. It’s not known at this point how long that will take.
ALL THREE CUT FREE: 00:25 am The last of the three protesters who had chained themselves to a concrete block under the rail tracks at Berg has been cut free.
00:06 am A video of the blockade of the Gorleben storage compound is viewable at http://www.graswurzel.tv/index.php?mov_id=43&PHPSESSID=b83e29fde90c2638c12cd3d9b382bf4f
00:04 am CASTOR train still stopped at Berg because one person remains chained to a concrete block under the rails.
00:03 am Still 600 people squatting outside the storage compound, surrounded by many tractors.

===

Saturday, November 10, 2008

THE LAST FEW HOURS OF SATURDAY as reported on the German Day X newswire:
11:34 Four Robin Wood activists suspended over the road between Gorleben and the storage compound about 7 metres from the ground.
10:29 pm Blockade of the interim storage compound continues. 500 people and 12 tractors there. Good mood. Lots of police but holding back.
9:57 pm After nine hours no end in sight to blockade of the CASTOR train at Wörth near the French border. Federal police at 9:30 pm, almost nine hours after the blockade began, managed to release the second of the three chained-on people from the massive concrete block, said to be as big as one cubic metre. The train with 11 CASTOR caskets was due in Wörth at 1:40 pm. It’s been stuck in Lauterbourg across the border in France since 1.15 pm. The NDR broadcaster has a picture of the blockaders at
9:44 pm Signalling cables of the railways were set on fire in the morning at Hofgeismar, near Kassel. Police suspect a connection with the CASTOR transport. In Wiesbaden-Schierstein tires were set on fire near cable cabinets. Train services were cancelled until the afternoon.
8:51 pm Still 500 people and 12 tractors blockading the storage compound.
6:43 pm Police have cut the first of three chained protesters from the concrete block in Berg.
5:56 pm 500 people at the sit-down blockade of the storage compound, more coming.
5:55 pm A female protester handcuffed to a tree by police in Karlsruhe was released by court order. The court ruled there was no reason to hold her. She and two other people had demonstrated at midday in Karlsruhe-Mühlburg on a track near the railway line against atomic power. The CASTOR train was due to pass there in the evening. +++++++ 5:52 pm 60 activists, including clowns of the Clowns Army, are with the chained-on people in Berg for support.
5:50 pm The two men and a woman chained to the railway track at Berg had face masks put on them at 4:47 pm

—

Saturday, November 08, 2008 at 16:39:55 (CET)

German Rail reports delays in train traffic in north Germany caused by arson attacks on railway installations in Brandenburg and damage done to signalling equipment. Repairs would take until the late afternoon.

—

Saturday, November 08, 2008 at 16:11:42 (CET)

TRAIN STILL STOPPED: The three activists locked to a concrete block are still stopping the CASTOR train from continuing its journey. Police have not yet succeeded to cut the demonstrators out. They’re working with electric hammer drills to try to break open the concrete. The train is still stopped in the French border station Lauterbourg, about four kilometres from the concrete block.

French police arrest anarchists for train sabotage + web link for more info

11th November 2008
French police raided alleged anarchist cells in three cities on Tuesday and arrested at least 10 suspects following a series of sabotage attacks on the country’s high-speed rail network.

Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said police intelligence officers had been investigating an “ultra-left anarchist movement” for several months and had acted following the weekend’s disruption of train services.

“We found that this ultra-left movement has links in five European countries and in other non-European countries,” she said, alleging that the French gang has contacts in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Greece.

None of those arrested works for the SNCF state rail network, she added.

A source close to the investigation told AFP anti-terrorist officers were examining “possible links between the suspects and the German hard-left, which has claimed responsibility for actions agains trains carrying nuclear waste”.

President Nicolas Sarkozy congratulated police on the arrests and welcomed “the rapid and promising progress made in the context of the inquiry.”

Thousands of passengers and more than 160 train services were delayed Saturday after a gang jammed steel rods across overhead power cables on three high-speed lines between Paris and London, Brussels and the French regions.

The attack halted trains and damaged several sections of 25,000-volt power lines, but no one was hurt.

In a separate incident on Sunday in the southwest of the country, another high-speed train rammed a pair of concrete blocks placed on a line. There were no injuries and it is not yet clear whether the incident was related.

Alliot-Marie said 10 suspects were being held, but an interior ministry official said more than 20 had initially been detained in raids conducted in Paris, the central town of Tarnac and the northern city of Rouen.

Following Saturday’s incident, which followed at least one similar incident involving the use of rods designed to reinforce concrete and a series of other acts of vandalism, officials spoke of a “concerted campaign” of sabotage.

Experts from the SNCF state rail company told reporters that the sophistication of the attacks showed the saboteurs were technically very competent, since neutralising the power lines required expert knowledge.

The TGV high-speed rail network has been the target of several extremist campaigns over recent years by criminals seeking to blackmail SNCF, Basque separatist guerrillas and militant trade unionists.

Saturday’s attacks were among the best planned, taking out trains on lines north, east and south of the capital at almost the same moment and plunging the national network into chaos.

In addition to national services, Eurostar trains to Brussels and London and Thalys journeys to the Netherlands and northern Europe were halted.

Despite the most intense protests by anti-nuclear campaigners for several years, a French shipment of radioactive waste arrived in Germany early on Tuesday after a 20-hour delay.

Eleven lorries carrying 123 tonnes of nuclear waste arrived at the Gorleben dump in northern Germany just after midnight (2200 GMT), police said.

For most of the journey from western France the waste travelled by train and was halted for half a day at the German border by three activists who had jammed their arms into a concrete block under the track.

Once in Germany, around 16,000 baton-wielding police were deployed as around 15,000 demonstrators rallied along the route to try to hinder progress using tactics such as setting barricades on fire on the tracks.

The train eventually arrived at its final destination on Monday, more than 14 and a half hours late and the cargo was then transferred to lorries for the final 20 kilometres (12 miles) trip to Gorleben.

Along the final leg some 1,000 activists had to be removed one-by-one by riot police before the lorries could pass. Tractors had been parked across the road and activists chained themselves to tall cement pyramids.

For updated info and background articles, see http://tarnac9.wordpress.com/about/

latest from Gorleben nuke transport protests (& they’ve not even really started!)

November 08, 2008
CASTOR-BLOCKADE WITH CONCRETE BLOCK NEAR WÖRTH: A group of young people at about 12.45 pm Saturday made the railway line unpassable for the Castor train shortly after it crossed into Germany, 500 metres north of Berg station. Three men and women fastened their arms in the massive block placed under the track sleepers. The train has been stopped for now.

November 06, 2008
BLOCKADES HAVE BEGUN: The railway line used to take nuclear waste into the Wendland was symbolically blockaded at three overpasses on Thursday by abseilers. Police seized and held a prominent French woman climber in “preventive detention”, a law that has been ruled invalid by the highest court. The environment organisation Robin Wood suspended three abseilers from three bridges between Lüneburg and Wendisch Evern, saying they would stay there until the waste train came or police removed them. The French activist is used to being under permanent police surveillance because of her frequent spectacular climbing actions. On Thursday evening dozens of supporters demonstrated for her release outside the Lüneburg police directorate.

====

November 05, 2008
TRAIN STOPPED BY PROTEST: Three high school pupils stopped a train bringing the special trucks for the Castor transport to Gorleben for half an hour near Hitzacker on Monday by sitting on the rails. They had to be carried away by police. About 100 demonstrators were near the track. Police were reported to be confused at first until they asked for reinforcements, which took half an hour to arrive. The three were encircled by police and had their IDs taken down. Pictures at http://de.indymedia.org/2008/11/231196.shtml

—

GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS OCCUPY DUMP TOWER: 40 Greenpeace activists occupied a winding tower of the Asse II nuclear dump near Wolfenbüttel on Wednesday morning (pictures at http://de.indymedia.org/2008/11/231338.shtml), attaching a banner that said nuclear waste must be removed from the former potash mine, which is heavily taking water. The action is to last several days. Police have not demanded that the protesters leave the tower and so far everything has been peaceful. From January the mine, which was considered a model for Gorleben, is to be controlled by a different government authority, the Federal Agency for Radiation Protection. Background on Asse II at http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/story/nuclear-worries-increase-german-waste-dump-mine-floods and http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/story/german-nuclear-dump-was-illegal-start.

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ATTACKS ON POWER COMPANY’S VEHICLES: The «Hamburger Morgenpost» newspaper has published text purporting to claim responsibility for attacks on vehicles of the Vattenfall power company connected with the Castor transport. Windows of a car were damaged and both front tyres stabbed. Police say they have no claims of responsibility for two other attacks. In one case a vehicle loaded with four gas bottles was set on fire, causing an explosion that injured no one. But the pressure wave was said to have caused tens of thousands of euros worth of damage. Five vehicles were totally destroyed and a nearby building damaged. Police were able to stop another arson attack on a Vattenfall vehicle when a witness called them after seeing the attempt. Police assume all attacks were carried out by the same group of people.

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POLICE IN GÖTTINGEN ROUGHED UP TWO ANTI-NUCLEAR ACTIVISTS who had hung a banner about the coming Castor transport over the entrance to the local railway station. One had his wrists painfully twisted, the other was clapped in handcuffs immediately. Police went to the home of one of them searching for the banner. The activists comment that it’s interesting to see how nervous police can get about a banner and how they fear public scrutiny. Pictures at http://de.indymedia.org/2008/11/231320.shtml.

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Latest action news & other less direct action-focussed info at http://www.castor.de/ticker/index_en.html

More careers fair antics – Cambridge, Birmingham, Oxford – update: RBS & e.on no-shows

Update: RBS didn’t turn up to a Cambridge careers fair and e.on have given a few a miss now – keep on going folks, there’ll be lots of other murderous companies coming your way…

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Careering Downwards, courtesy of Cambridge University!

Update: RBS didn’t turn up to a Cambridge careers fair and e.on have given a few a miss now – keep on going folks, there’ll be lots of other murderous companies coming your way…

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Careering Downwards, courtesy of Cambridge University!
5th November 2008
Today and tomorrow, Cambridge University are hosting a Careers Fair, which seems to comprise a motley collection of arms manufacturers, planet wreckers and Vivisectionists.

To highlight just how dubious many of the exhibitors at this event are, some activists decided to go along today.

Despite the extremely fluffy actions undertaken by activists, which were handing out flyers to visitors (for a while inside the venue as well as on the road outside), and displaying banners, there was a high presence not only of the expected Proctors, but also many police, including a FIT team who made a point of photographing everyone while they were there, but seemed to be strangely camera shy themselves.

Apparently earlier in the day there were at least two van loads of police in attendance, although by the time activists arrived in numbers they had gone, with ‘just’ several cars having a visible presence there all of the afternoon, including (I witnessed) the searching of someone’s Guitar case at the door!

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Students Dying to Ditch Dirty Development

Last Friday (31st October) students from Keele, BCU, Birmingham, Warwick and Aston People and Planet groups staged a die-in at Royal Bank of Scotland’s stall in the Graduate Recruitment Fair at the NEC in Birmingham. It was the latest in a series of actions as part of People and Planet’s Ditch Dirty Development Campaign targeting RBS at careers’ fairs and presentations at universities around the country.

Students gritted their teeth through the security checks into the careers’ fair arena, as well as resisting the temptation to target other companies in a who’s who of unethical companies (including defence contractors such as BAE Systems, and the Arcadia Group owners of notorious sweatshop high street brand Topshop) before congregating at the RBS stall. At an agreed time the students performed a mass die-in in and around the stall, dying on oil slicks to make the point about oil extraction and climate change already killing those in developing countries.

Security arrived promptly to remove protesters from the scene, protesters singing “Oil and Gas RBS” as they were removed from the fair. Some students were then questioned by security and the police, while others were taken outside and told to protest in a specially prepared pen outside the main entrance. Those being questioned were then removed from the premise, one was even threatened with arrest by police officers in order for them to obtain their name and address, and were informed that should they return they would be arrested, on rather legally dubious grounds.

Those in the “protest pen” outside were subjected to sniffer dog checks of bags for explosives, and also of persons for drugs in an attempt to try and pin more on the protesting students. Once this ordeal had been endured, with no shortage of cynical humour and gritted teeth, the remaining students continued to protest outside, and, despite a security presence, attempts to stop students using a megaphone, not being allowed to leave the pen without an escort, managed to engage members of the passing public in the campaign. Spirits were kept high with chants and songs before students decided to end the protest and were escorted out of the area by security.

While those who took part were satisfied with the day’s protesting, police officers questioning and threatening participants with arrest as well as the use of sniffer dogs represents was a worrying development, especially in response to what was essentially a very fluffy direct action protest. However, protests against RBS at careers events will continue no matter how much they hide behind security and police. The campaign continues….

Some of the exhibitors include…

Proctor & Gamble (vivisection funders)

Eon (Pro Nuclear and Coal power)

Rolls Royce (Arms Manufacturers, sponsors of University Engineering Department)

Shell (archetypal oil greenwashers)

…And many more besides.

It would seem that despite previous years’ Careers Fairs also having activists in attendance, due to the moral bankruptcy of the companies being booked for said event, the University still hasn’t figured out that it’s actually better for their wider reputation to display some ethics in their booking choices for such an event.

You could always come along and see it for yourself, as it’s open again Thursday afternoon (November 6th), by The Mill Pond at The Graduate Centre, although if you’re not a Cambridge University Student, you may get ID’ed.

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E.ON Recruiters Targeted AGAIN – in Oxford

6.11.2008
Climate-trashing energy monsters E.ON continued their national recruitment tour with a stall at the Oxford Careers Fair today. They seemed miserable but not surprised when a group of local activists turned up too…

This afternoon, Oxford Town Hall played host to a thrilling smorgasbord of unethical corporate recruiters, at the “Science, Engineering and IT Careers Fair”. BAe, AWE, npower, BP, Proctor & Gamble, and the Army were all in attendance, but it was coal-burning climate renegades E.ON who were in the spotlight today.

Over the last few weeks they’ve been targeted by activists at careers fairs across the land, and today was no exception. A group of campaigners from Thames Valley Climate Action were in attendance, making sure that everyone at the fair had an anti-brainwashing leaflet detailing what E.ON were really up to (with more general information on the other side about evil corporate recruiters, so the rest of them didn’t feel neglected). The recruiters wasted plenty of time talking to undercover activists, and every genuine student who visited the stall got a friendly chat from a campaigner as well.

Eventually, though, the shiny corporate displays all got too much to bear, and some more action was required. E.ON were (loudly) presented with a fantastic prize for the most egregious piece of greenwash on display (despite some stiff competition): their display read “Tackling climate change isn’t something that’s tacked onto our agenda. It’s at the heart of our business” (oh, for a bit of paint to remove the word “tackling”). Their prize? A fantastic bag of (char)coal, scattered all over their stall, and the sight of the protesters being firmly escorted from the building, still loudly detailing E.ON’s activities, much to the entertainment of the watching crowd.

The activists then spent some time dishing out the rest of their leaflets outside the fair – we’ll post the leaflet here in case anyone else wants to use it (we cribbed bits of it from the Nottingham careers fair leaflet, so let’s keep sharing it all around!).

Thames Valley Climate Action
oxford@climatecamp.org.uk
http://tvca.atspace.com

German anti-nuclear waste sabotage & actions this coming weekend

Anti-nuclear activists in Germany are gearing up for another transport of highly active nuclear waste to run through France and Germany from 7 to 9 November for dumping at the north German village of Gorleben. About 20,000 police will be deployed to guard the consignment against thousands of demonstrators.

CASTOR TRACK SABOTAGED: In the night from 30 to 31 October the CASTOR railway track between Karlsruhe and Mannheim was sabotaged near Stutensee. Rail traffic was brought to a standstill with a barricade. To stop any train running into it without braking, the first goods train using the track was stopped by an emergency signal before it got to the spot.

Swedish Peace Activists Repeatedly Break Into Weapon Factories

23.10.2008

23.10.2008
Using hammers and bolt cutters, peace activists repeatedly broke into weapon plants and damaged weapons in Sweden. Activists from the Swedish group OFOG/Avrusta admitted damaging twenty high explosive grenade launchers as well as internal parts to a Howitzer 77. Five people were arrested. Two remain in jail. Two activists who were arrested and released were re-arrested after they returned to the weapons plant to do more damage. A fifth person was arrested Saturday in another break in. All are facing trial on charges from criminal damage to trespass at places of national security.

Members of the Swedish peace and disarmament group OFOG/Avrusta say they have been preparing for more than a year to carry out the actions. OFOG, which loosely translates as the word mischief, is a network of activists working for a nuclear free and demilitarized world. Avrusta is Disarm in English. The group released information to the press announcing their actions and posted videos of their entry and damage on You Tube. See: http://www.ofog.org/avrusta_aktionsvideo

At about 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning, activists approached the BAE Systems weapons facility in Karlskoga, Sweden, about 240 kilometers away from Stockholm. According to statements to the press, they used bolt cutters cut open a hole in the security fence and entered. They left behind a banner welcoming others, which said “The door is open — you are free to start disarming.” The activists used hammers to damage internal parts like cooling aggregates and hydraulic cylinders for the Howitzer 77. A fully operational Howitzer 77 can fire 6 rounds every second for 20 minutes and has a firing range of 30 kilometers. Inside, media reports note that the duo managed to affix a poster to the door that said, “In this factory are manufactured weapons that are used to wage wars — Disarmament is underway.” Disarmament activists, Cattis Laska, 24, and Pelle Strinlund, 37, were arrested and charged with trespassing and criminal damage. Laska is a youth leader and Strinlund is a writer. Both remain in jail pending a hearing.

Simultaneously, other activists entered a weapons facility run by Saab in Eskilstuna, Sweden, about 135 kilometers away. According to OFOG/Avrusta, they damaged twenty grenade launchers with hammers and then alerted guards to their presence. Anna Andersson, 26, and Martin Smedjeback, 35, were arrested and charged with trespass, severe criminal damage, and entering a protected national security area. Andersson is a web developer. Smedjeback is a trainer in non-violence. Both were released from jail on Friday.

The weapons damaged in the Saab plant were described as Carl Gustav type grenade launchers. These are shoulder mounted anti-tank weapons that can fire high explosive rounds. The weapons were reportedly found in boxes labeled for delivery to “US” and “New Delhi.” BAE has a long term contract with the Indian government for howitzers and grenade launchers, according to reports in the Hindu Times.

After being released from jail Friday, Andersson indicated she was glad to be going to trial. “I look forward to a chance to ethically and legally argue for our actions in court. I hope one day the arms manufacturers will be charged for the criminal damage that Swedish armaments cause in wars and conflicts around the world.”

In a surprise move early Saturday, Andersson and Smedjeback returned to the weapons plant where they were arrested again. They now remain in jail.

Also early Saturday morning, a fifth member of the group, Annika Spalde, 39, cut her way through the fence around a weapons plant in Karlskoga and hung a banner encouraging more disarmament actions. She was later arrested. She is charged with severe criminal damage and trespass in a place of national security. Spalde, who was later released, is a deacon in the Swedish church, an author and peace activist.

BAE Systems, owner of the Karlskoga plant, describes itself on its website as “the premier global defense and aerospace company” with 100,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of $31.4 billion. BAE authorities confirmed the break in. Curiously, BAE press people in the US reported “very minor” damage while the BAE security manager in Sweden told the press there that he estimated damage at 50,000 euros and was not certain whether the damage would create delays in scheduled deliveries of the weapons or not.

Saab, owner of the Eskilstuna plant, proclaims it serves the global market with products, services and solutions ranging from military defense to civil security. It says it has 13,700 employees and worldwide sales of $2.5 billion. Lasse Jonsson, spokesperson for Saab, told the media, “They have scrapped a quantity of weapons’ spare parts that awaited export. Only after the police investigation has been completed will we be able to calculate the exact extent of the damage caused.”

Maja Backlund, spokesperson for OFOG, was quoted in the Hindu Times: “Civil disobedience and action are most vital parts of democratic development. Our colleagues who breached the Saab factory managed to damage 25 grenade launchers of the Carl Gustav brand that are in extensive use in Kashmir and other war zones in India.” OFOG also claims that some of the weapons damaged were of the same type as used by the U.S. military in Iraq.

Members of OFOG claim Swedish weapons exports have risen 88 percent since the US invasion of Iraq. They further claim that the Swedish government is violating its policy of peace and neutrality by supplying warring countries with arms.

Deacon Spalde insisted these actions were necessary. “When your government supports an illegal war and sells arms to dictatorships, it’s time for ordinary citizens like us to take action.”

OFOG/Avrusta said “This action is the first disarmament campaign in the 21st century in Sweden.” At this point, the campaign says it consists of activists willing to risk arrest and another fifty support people.

“Our activists have prepared themselves for more than a year for this campaign,” said a group member who asked to remain anonymous. “They are ready to serve time in prison if Swedish society should fail to see that nonviolent civil disobedience to suspend the disastrous Swedish arms exports to wars and dictatorships is less of a breach of law than these amoral arms exports.”

More disarmament actions, OFOG/Avrusta promises, will be forthcoming.

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/10/swedish-peace-activists-repeatedly-break-into-weapon-factories/

http://ofog.org/about-campaign-avrusta

Students Target Unethical Career Corporatism

On Monday 20th October the annual AISEC Careers fair commenced at Nottingham University, featuring many organisations with despicable or at least dubious ethical credentials and social-responsibility records, including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Qinetiq, E.On, BP, RBS, MoD and the army. The fair also featured some student activists and Grim Reapers who had made an appearance in order to remind fellow students of the deadly consequences of working in the arms trade or climate change industry.

AISEC claim to be ‘the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact on society.’ The organisation also claims to envision “Peace and fulfillment of humankind’s potential.” Despite this, at Nottingham, the organisations’ main endeavor appears to be to give a platform to arms dealers! For more see: http://www.aiesec.org/

Concerned about the presence of such unethical corporate entities and the glaring hypocrisy of AISEC, a group of students came together with the aim of raising awareness of the unethical nature of many of the companies at the fair and oppose the general presence of mechanisms of the capitalist death machine.

The morning began with fliering at various stalls, collecting of shiny corporate merch, and using up the representatives time. Nottingham University Security were being their usual oppressive selves and tried to prevent the students from fliering near the glossy corporate stalls. Threats of calling the police were also issued. The students also had a permanent stall next to the army (courtesy of One World Week) from which alternative information about companies, personal discussion and careers guides could be disseminated. When the army rep left his stall, a couple of students kindly stepped in to fill his role and invite students to ‘join the imperial death machine’.

In the afternoon four Grim Reapers appeared and went to pay a visit to the stalls of BAE and Rolls-Royce, much to the amusement of passers-by and bewilderment of corporate representatives. Simultaneously, a rather unambiguous banner was dropped in the main access stairwell of the building reading ‘BAE KILL’. The four reapers loitered at BAE and Rolls-Royces stalls for an hour or so handing our fliers and chatting to students and reps, before doing a mini-tour of other dubious corporate outfits in Portland Building (E.On, BP, Qinetiq). University Security reacted initially with ‘you lot have to leave or we’ll call the police’, one BAE rep intervened to assure security “it’s cool, they’re Ok”. Security later changed their line to ‘please take off your masks it’s causing intimidation’, and finally, meekly asked ‘can you please stop filming’, before eventually leaving the students to do their thing. A combination of knowledge about basic rights and the fact that they were armed with a video camera successfully protected the protesters from any silly games that security may have wished to play. Thankfully, this time, freedom of expression and the right to protest prevailed.

Some interesting discussions were had with some of the representatives. One BAE rep was heard to proclaim ‘Free Palestine’, despite working for a company that has provided parts for Israeli military equipment (notably electronics for the F-16 fighter aircraft) and also subcontracted work to Israel. The same rep also confessed feeling slightly guilty about working for BAE, despite being at the Careers fair precisely with the purpose of trying to convince others to do the same thing! A Qinetiq representative admitted that he felt the student protesters were doing a good thing, and was ultimately somewhat envious of the passion they clearly had for this issue. He also suggested that the student s should be targeting Airbus and the MoD additionally.

An eventful time was had by all, especially BAE’s reps! E.ON were the only company to actively complain about the student protests (as far as we know), the moody gits! Clearly various teddies were thrown out of various power-stations. On Tuesday, the second day of the fair, the vast majority of the REALLY immoral companies were not present.

For an awesome video of the action see: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VfJ8geHkaRk