Illegal German Final Disposal Site Occupied

On Friday, May 29, 2009, between several hundred and up to 1,000 activists (the numbers are differing depending on the source of information) spontaneously occupied the site of the planned Final Disposal Site in Gorleben, Germany. People cut the fences and entered the high-security areal of the Gorleben salt mine. The day before secret documents had been published proving that the operator of the facility was illegally building a Final Disposal Site for high level radioactive waste.

It has never been a secret, that Gorleben should become the Final Repository for high level radioactive in Germany. However, official authorities and the nuclear lobby always claimed that it would be "only" a research mine. For this reason there has never been an application for constructing a nuclear facility in this mine - that would require a nuclear administration procedure with the public's right to discuss those plans. Therefore, the Gorleben mine was constructed based on mining laws that don't intend to involve the public as much as nuclear laws would.

Activists reported that police wasn't able to prevent the action, although it was announced one day in advance. At least 200 activists entered the area of the Final Disposal Site aiming to level off the illegal buildings, supported by at least 20 tractors of local farmers. Before police was able to bring reinforcement, the tractors and most of the activists could leave the site announcing to return.

Read more about this action German