Anti-nuclear movement in France
In the 1970s, an anti-nuclear movement in France, consisting of citizens' groups and political action committees, emerged. There were many large w:anti-nuclear protests and demonstrations. More recently, targeted campaigns have been conducted, mainly by w:Greenpeace, and w:Sortir du nucléaire (France) has called for an official safety inspection of w:Areva facilities.
History
France began a w:nuclear power program in the 1950s and announced a shift to the Westinghouse light water reactor in 1969. Following the 1973 oil crisis, the government announced a dramatic increase in planned nuclear capacity. These major decisions were put forward as a fait accompli, with no opportunity for meaningful parliamentary debate.[1] An intense extra-parliamentary opposition, of citizens' groups and political action committees, emerged. In the 1970s, there were many large and dramatic anti-nuclear protests and demonstrations in France.[1]
In 1971, 15,000 people demonstrated against French plans to locate the first light -water reactor power plant in Bugey. This was the first of a series of mass protests organized at nearly every planned nuclear site until the massive demonstration at the w:Superphénix breeder reactor in Creys-Malvillein in 1977 culminated in violence.[2]
Recent developments
In 2004, an anti-nuclear protester was run over by a train carrying w:radioactive waste.[3] In 2005, thousands of anti-nuclear demonstrators marched to commemorate the 1986 w:Chernobyl disaster and demand an end to government plans to build a nuclear plant in western France.[4]
On w:March 17 w:2007 simultaneous protests, organised by Sortir du nucléaire (Get Out of Nuclear Power), were staged in 5 French towns to protest construction of EPR plants; w:Rennes, w:Lyon, w:Toulouse, w:Lille, and w:Strasbourg.
In 2008, twenty w:Greenpeace activists delayed construction of a new nuclear reactor being built in Flamanville for 50 hours.[5] In July 2008 there were a series of accidents at the French nuclear site Tricastin-Pierrelatte, and Greenpeace France launched two court cases in an effort to find out more details about these.[6] In August 2008, Sortir du nucléaire called w:Areva's radioactive emissions 'very dangerous' and sought an official safety inspection of its factories.[7]
See also
- Anti-nuclear movement in Germany
- Anti-nuclear movement in the United Kingdom
- List of anti-nuclear groups
- Non-nuclear future
- Nuclear controversy
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nelkin, Dorothy and Michael Pollak, "Ideology as Strategy: The Discourse of the Anti-Nuclear Movement in France and Germany" Science, Technology, & Human Values, Vol. 5, No. 30 (Winter, 1980), p. 3.
- ↑ Nelkin, Dorothy and Michael Pollak (1982). The Atom Beseiged: Antinuclear Movements in France and Germany, ASIN: B0011LXE0A, p. 3.
- ↑ Fatality fuels anti-nuclear protest
- ↑ Thousands march in anti-nuclear protest in western France
- ↑ Greenpeace activists block restart of French nuclear reactor construction
- ↑ Greenpeace to sue French Nuclear Industry
- ↑ Concern over French nuclear safety
Further reading
- Touraine, Alain, Zsuzska Hegedus, Francois Dubet, and Michael Wieviorka (1982). Anti-nuclear protest: The Opposition to Nuclear Energy in France, Cambridge University Press.
External links
- Thousands protest against N-power: Demonstrations across France
- Thousands march in Paris anti-nuclear protest
- Greenpeace resumes protest actions against Flamanville-3
- Greenpeace Climb Eiffel Tower in Nuclear Protest
- Uranium Leaks Rattle France's Nuclear Support, Anger Villagers
- French Doubts Up After Nuke Mishaps
