Ranua Uranium Exploration Action

Landscape by Ranua

Another landscape impression

Banner in Magdeburg (D) on Ranua Action Day

The Same Banner Welcoming The Gorleben Treck in Morsleben

Mobile Info Table With Post Box For Protest Against Uranium Mining in Ranua

Areva Test Drilling in Ranua/Finland

Landscape by Ranua in Danger by Areva Drilling For Uranium

Areva Uranium Drilling Area in Ranua

Drilling Mark by Areva Searching For Uranium

Uranium Drilling Area

Areva's Drilling Mark

Endangered Area by Areva's Uranium Mining Plans

Another View to The Landscape

Finnish-German Banner in Magdeburg (D)

Activists distributing flyers on Ranua Action Day

Caution Sign Marking A Symbolic Uranium Mining Area

"Certificate" Distributed By A Pseudo Nuclear Lobbyist

Uranium Mining Exhibition at Ranua Action Day in Magdeburg

Caution Sign Marking A Symbolic Uranium Mining Area

Information Table in Magdeburg

Symbolic Uranium Mine at Ranua Action Day in Magdeburg

A Faked Nuclear Lobbyist Distributing Certificates at Ranua Action Day

Post Box For Creative Protest Postcards

Passers-by Writing Creative Protest Messages

Creative Protest Postcards to Be Sent to The Responsible Finnish Ministry

• family-event in Ranua on October 12th, 2009 with film, slide show and backgrounds about uranium + also with cakes and coffee + also childrens programme
• (official side) Exclusive (!) info night for the members of the municipality council on October 14th, 2009 in order to help them to vote about the uranium prospecting. There will be representatives from the Lapland environmental centre, STUK, TEM, 'Lapps against nuclear power' and Areva.
• "Nuclear Halloween" - street party and carneval on October 31st, 2009 in Helsinki
• Public meeting with critical experts on November 6th, 2009 in Ranua
• Support gig festival for the Ranua Rescue project on November 13th-14th, 2009 in Helsinki
• Ranua municipality board's decision about Areva's uranium application on November 16th, 2009
• Support gig in Tampere on November 19th, 2009

Ranua Rescue is a campaign opposing nuclear power company AREVA's plans to prospect and mine uranium is Ranua, a municipality in southern Lapland, Finland. With the campaign we want to stop the uranium prospecting and bring attention to this less known but even more destructive side of nuclear power.
Ranua Rescue is independent from political parties and NGO's, not committed to any special political ideology or religion. The participants agree that there should not be any uranium mines in Ranua or anywhere else. An uranium mine leaves the nature devastated for forever, seriously threatens the health of local inhabitants and destroys many other sources of living. The Ranua Rescue campaigners can have disagreements about other political questions and world views.
Marketing political parties or other organizations is not allowed within the campaign. As an international campaign we want to highlight that we don't oppose AREVA only because from Finnish point of view it is a foreign (French) company. The damages uranium mines cause are of the similar type not depending of the nationality of the company, country or the people.
Tens of people from all around Finland and several other countries have taken interest of the campaign as there is people all around the world fighting the same problems and even the same company.
We in Ranua Rescue campaign accept non-violent civil disobedience as means to protect the people and the nature in situations when law doesn't protect them.

• more information on the NuclearFreeFinland webpage

[edit ABOUT]

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Latest News

October 1st, 2009
People at the RRAMM camp called today to clarify the work being done by Areva in their prospecting claim area north of Ranua.
The workers and the land owner have been reasonable / cooperative when asked questions. They stated that they are simply filling in the holes that they have left open since their prospecting digging last November. They said that they are also checking radiation levels to ensure that no highly radioactive rocks are left on the ground surface.
RRAMM people have been monitoring this work and confirm that this seems to be all that Areva is doing.
One of the vehicles used by Areva is owned / rented by SCF Rahoitus OY, and UK-Yhtiöt Oy, Joensuu. If you are near these companies, maybe you could kindly ask them to stop renting their cars to dangerous eco-terrorists like Areva.

• Blankets (for the walls and floor of the army tent - the nights have been -8 degrees)
• Socks and warm gloves (see above, cold days too...)
• Clay (about 20 l for building better heating / cooking system)
• PEOPLE - this may be even more important than socks!

[ Ranua Camp History ]

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Support the Resistance Against Uranium Mining!

Currently a steady flow of thoughtful respectful people is needed to support the Camp in Ranua - you can make it clear with the people in Ranua at phone number +358 40 365 2041.

• we need PEOPLE for the camp:
  • Musicians
  • climbers
  • mechanics
  • carpenters
  • bakers
  • sponsors
  • solicitors
  • nature-lovers
  • and everyone else too!

You can also support the camp by lending or donating materials - have a look at the RRAMM-Support page!

You can also donate money. Until there is a special bank account for the Ranua Rescue group you should use the Nuclear Heritage Network bank account.

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Camp Set Up in Ranua to Monitor Areva's Mining Activities

We can't trust Areva or the authorities. All their information is really contradictional. First both Areva and the environmental authorities said clearly: Areva doesn't and can't start the deep drilling before they get the claim. Areva has announced several times that they stop working because there is nothing they could legally do before the ministry's permission=claim.

BUT: there are at least two holes, and an expert said after seeing a foto that those looks like drilling holes. No-one knows how deep those are, as Kaipainen from Areva says they haven't drill anything. The chief of the environment protection from "Lapplands enviroment center" didn't know anything about the holes (with white, sweating face), but wanted to have the fotos and after all said that AREVA IS ALLOUD TO DO DEEP DRILLING BY THE PERMISSION OF THE LAND OWNER, and there is nothing they can do unless they could proof that it would harm the environment seriouly, just maybe is not enough. The boss of areva says they are not doing anything because they can't, but at the same time they said at their web page that they can start drilling by the land owners permission.

So we see that there needs to be observators. Ready to film whatever happens there, and call more people if they try to start drilling. Hopefully not, if they know it wouldn't stay hidden. But if they would be that stupied, we would be ready to act, and the show would really start.

The idea is that the camp would stay there as long as needed, means over the winter. Some people may visit one night, some longer. There are already tents with "fireplace", and the idea is to build the camp so that it would be possible, even nice, to be there at winter time as well (personally waiting for the northern lights..)

One point is, that Ranua council will after all vote for their opinion about the mining soon. Starting the camp just when they vote can be the best timing ever! Even if their "no" wouldnt save the situation, just make it a little bit better.

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Stop Uranium Prospecting at Ranua - International Action Day 13th of August

In Ranua - a municipality located in Lapland, Finland - the soil and groundwater are in danger of being contaminated by uranium prospecting.

Let Areva and the municipality's pro-uranium mining politicians know that they are being observed all around the world!

An uranium mine in Lapland would lead to all the people who now get their livelihood from berry or mushroom picking, collecting wild plants, reindeer herding, fishing or agriculture to lose their source of income. Mining and radioactive waste in the vulnerable northern nature would also destroy Europe's largest remaining wilderness areas for forever. In many countries people and companies are watching Finnish policy on nuclear energy and uranium mining to see if it starts a new trend on nuclear energy. So this is not only a local issue but important to all the people in Finland and other parts of Europe/world!

One action possibility:

Send an email, call or fax the council members (see contact data of council members). Write or call to one or more (or all!) municipality board members. You can do it in English or your own language (if not in Finnish or Swedish). Tell them that you are worried about the situation. Urge them to say NO to uranium prospecting.

Add at least one reason why you think they should not allow uranium prospecting in the area (for help with your letter/mail/call see the text "more info" below). You are welcome to also BCC your emails to ranuarescue AT gmail.com.

Emailing them is just one small thing: but there is MORE you can do to stop the uranium pollution in Lapland. Stay tuned for more info...

Uranium Mining Threatens Nature and People in Ranua - Short Background Information

On the 1st of September 2008, Areva Resources Finland Oy submitted their application for a mining claim in the area of Asentolamminoja, on the border between the Ranua and Rovaniemi municipalities, to the Ministry of Employment and Economy. Before any decision or approval of the application, the company started digging in preparation of test drilling in November 2008 in the southern end of the area, at Isokangas, with the permission of the land owner.

In August 2009, the municipal board of Ranua gave their supporting stance on the mining project. Local people opposing the mining fear that Areva will start the test drilling when they want. According to law, the company should wait for the claim approval from the Ministry of Employment and Economy.

On the claim area there are several marshes and small waters that are connected to the groundwater reserves. The area is part of the watershed of the Simo river (i.e. the water flows to the river), which is designated as a NATURA2000 area. If the claim goes ahead, there would be in total over 10 kilometres of drillings and they would extend below the level of the groundwater reserves. If radioactive ore gets in contact with the water, the consequences are likely to be fatal both for the area's groundwater and for the Simo river.

The Geological SurveyCentre of Finland, who is participating in the prospecting, denies the existence of the risk, despite the fact that spoiling of the groundwater has often been a direct consequence of uranium prospecting elsewhere.

Around the world, uranium mining has resulted in extreme environmental destruction. In Europe it has been abolished precisely because of environmental problems. AREVA, the company active in Ranua, is responsible for, among other things, enormous environmental destruction in their mining regions in Niger, and in France for the algae-based processing of mining tailings (i.e. leftover rock & sediment), which created a public scandal. In Finland, AREVA is also building the new (EPR) reactor in Olkiluoto, which has turned into a fiasco.

Ranua-based activists have tried to inform the decision-makers and municipal inhabitants about the problems of uranium mining. They have collected names for a ban on uranium mining at different events, written to regional papers and arranged informational events, among other things. However, a local civil movement has quite limited power of influence, when put against the massive lobbying machine of the uranium power industry, and the state's energy policies, that favour mining in northern Finland.

The "No Uranium Power!" camp in Tervola, in July 2009, was visited by people from Ranua opposed to the mining, who asked for support from the anti-nuclear movement. In the workshop that followed the visit, people wanted to start broad nationwide and international activity in support of the people from Ranua. In this situation of emergency, all available methods should be used to stop the project. We call everyone concerned by the issue to act!

Ranua Rescue group
ranuarescue AT gmail.com

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Information Materials

• General Information Flyer on Ranua Uranium Topic: 144dpi | high solution
• Postcard for creative protest messages German/English
• Warning signs for creative actions (used on Ranua Action Day in Magdeburg): English | German

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Press Releases

• August 12, 2009: Internationaler Aktionstag gegen Uranabbau: Ranua Rescue Action Day mit Aktionen in mehreren deutschen Staedten German
• August 12, 2009: International Action Day Against Uranium Mining: Ranua Rescue Action Day With Actions In Several Countries English
• August 12, 2009: Internationaler Aktionstag gegen Uranabbau - 'Uranabbau' auf Magdeburgs Bahnhofsvorplatz German

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Other Materials

• YouTube-Video showing the Camp (October 7th, 2009)
• Camp pictures on Flickr (September 21th, 2009)

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Media Coverage

• Widerstand gegen Uranabbau in Finnland (October 2009) German
• Ranua Rescue Action Day in Magdeburg (October 2009) German
• Camp Set Up in Ranua to Monitor Arevas Mining Activities (October 2009) English
• Uraanikaivoksen vastustajat laittoivat leirin pystyyn (September 5th, 2009) Finnish
• Uraanihankkeen vastustajat leirillä Ranuan metsässä (September 11th, 2009) Finnish
• Indymedia Netherlands: occupationcamp lapland (August 31th, 2009) English
• Indymedia Germany: Camp in Ranua Set Up to Monitor Areva's Mining Activities (August 31th, 2009) English
• Indymedia Linksunten: Camp in Ranua Set Up to Monitor Areva's Mining Activities (August 31th, 2009) English
• Pysäytä uraanin louhinta Ranualla! (August 2009) German
• Images of the Ranua Rescue Action Day on Ydinvoima (August, 2009)
• Ureinwohner Lapplands durch Uranabbau bedroht (August 19th, 2009) German
• Indymedia Germany: Ranua Rescue Action Day in Magdeburg (August 18th, 2009) German
• Indymedia Linksunten: Ranua Rescue Action Day in Magdeburg (August 18th, 2009) German
• Indymedia Germany: Stoppt den Uranabbau in Ranua! (August 18th, 2009) German
• Indymedia Linksunten: Pysäytä uraanin louhinta Ranualla! (August August 18th, 2009) German
• Mielenosoitus Helsingissä - Ei uraanikaivoksia Ranualle! (August 17th, 2009) Finnish
• В четверг, 13 августа в Хельсинки и Тампере прошли демонстрации против планов добычи урана на севере Финляндии (August 15th, 2009) Russian
• Uraanista tarvitaan tietoa (August 14th, 2009) Finnish
• Lapin uraanikuohu levisi Helsinkiin (August 13th, 2009) Finnish
• Tampereella ja Helsingissä osoitettiin mieltä uraanikaivoksia vastaan (August 13th, 2009) Finnish
• Kolme seppää puettiin vastustamaan ydinvoimaa (August 13th, 2009) Finnish
• Ranua rescuen tukimiekkarin satoa... (August 13th, 2009) Finnish
• tukimielenosoitukset helsingissa ja tampereella uraaniuhkapeli lopetettava ranualla (August 13th, 2009) Finnish
• Call for action against uranium mining in Finland (August 12th, 2009) English
• Ranualaisille uraanin vastustajille tukea mielenosoituksilla (August 12th, 2009) Finnish
• Indymedia Linksunten: Internationaler Aktionstag gegen Uranabbau auch in mehreren deutschen Städten (August 12th, 2009) German
• Uraanin etsintä lopetettava Ranualla! (August 12th, 2009) Finnish
• Indymedia Germany: Internationaler "RescueRanua"-Aktionstag (August 8th, 2009) German
• Indymedia International: Stop Uranium Prospecting at Ranua - International Action Day 13th of August (August 9th, 2009) English

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Other Webpages on Ranua Uranium Topic

• Nuclear Free Finland
• Ranua Rescue on blogsport

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Past Events

• Info stall in Helsinki at Kolmensepän patsas (opposite Stockmann) on October 7th, 2009 at noon with cakes and flyers
• Film night in Rovaniemi on October 5th, 2009
• Film and info-night on September 30th, 2009 in Turku. "Uranium - is it a country" will be shown and info about Ranua
• Info-stall-snickers-pie-event in Ranua center on September 26th, 2009
  • with information about the uranium mining plans and the monitor camp as well as with free pie and coffee
• Movie night ("Area 32") about uranium mining on September 21st, 2009 at 6 pm in Ranua
  • The film Area 32 is about the fight against uranium mining in Askola, south of Finland. The people won the fight in 2007.
• Press conference about the Ranua Rescue Action Camp on September 21th, 2009 at 12pm at the camp in Ranua
• Camp near Ranua was set up on August 26th, 2009 to observe Areva's Uranium mining activities; actions took place on August 13th, 2009 against Uranium exploration in Ranua