Around the Chernobyl Commemoration Day 2006, hundreds of local groups organised street actions between 15 April and 7 May 2006. The focus was to collect thousands of signatures for the European Petition against Nuclear Power. Actions took place all over Europe, from big demonstrations to small fun actions, or simply information stalls in city centres, where people signed the petition. Actions took place in Hungary, Finland, Croatia, Scotland, France, Spain, Belgium and Austria.
One Million Europeans Against Nuclear Power!
In order to fight the comeback of nuclear power, a broad coalition of NGOs including Friends of the Earth aims to collect one million signatures against nuclear power in Europe. Help us to reach this one million: by signing the European Petition, by spreading the word and by collecting signatures from friends and colleagues! |
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FINLAND
In Finland there were activities in six cities. In Helsinki there was a commemoration event in front of the modern art museum with speeches from members of parliament and the well known Russian scientist Natalia Manzurova. This event was organised together with "Power of Future", Maan Ystävät Ry / Friends of the Earth Finland, Women Against Nuclear and Greenpeace. In Tampere, Lahti, Kuopio and Jyväskylä volunteers from Friends of the Earth Finland, and the network "Power of Future" collected signatures. There were info tables in central locations in cities, eg on market places. In Joensuu in addition there was "anti-nuclear-documentary film-evening".
See photos at http://www.maanystavat.fi/galleria/thumbnails.php?album=49
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CROATIA
Green Action/ Friends of the Earth Croatia had a press conference announcing the petition against nuclear power, followed by an action as well as an exhibition about Chernobyl. The first signatory of the Petition in Croatia was Dr. Ivan Supek, a well known Croatian scientist and philosopher who pioneered nuclear research in the 1950s and founded the biggest scientific research institute in Croatia.
See photos at http://www.zelena-akcija.hr/akcije/cernobil20/cernobil20.htm |
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SCOTLAND
Friends of the Earth Scotland's 'nuclear white elephant' campaign highlighted the many problems associated with nuclear power and proposed more sensible solutions in the fight against climate change. The group marked the launch of the campaign by inflating a giant 14-foot tall inflatable 'nuclear white elephant' in front of the Scottish Parliament. The campaign includes a national 'nuclear white elephant' tour that will visit Scottish towns and cities, public events and nuclear facilities. The tour will run until September. While on tour Friends of the Earth Scotland will also be supporting the 1 Million Europeans Against Nuclear Power.
See photos at http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/elephant
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FRANCE
France: On the 15-16 April in Cherbourg, approximately 25,000 people gathered to oppose the construction of a new EPR power plant, to commemorate the 20 years of the Chernobyl disaster and to go on signing the petition " 1 million Europeans say no to nuclear energy ". French activists have already collected nearly 150,000 signatures to this petition. Out of this big demonstration in Cherbourg, more than 60 French groups have created an action plan to never forget Chernobyl and for the ongoing 1 million petition. One of the strongest actions, created by a French theatre group and musicians, was a performance at the foot of the Chernobyl reactor on the 25th of April in the evening as an homage to the victims of this catastrophe. See photos at www.stop-epr.org
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BELGIUM
In Belgium , on 26 April, activists from all parts of Belgium at 0:23 a.m. symbolically blockaded the nuclear power plant of Doel near Antwerp to commemorate the exact time of the explosion at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant 20 years ago. Activists in a torch-lit procession came by foot from nearby Kieldrecht. They were united by one demand: a global and rapid phase out of nuclear power. They commemorated with a symbolic death the thousands of victims of the world's most deadly nuclear disaster that sent a nuclear cloud over Europe. The Doel plant is the last leg of a 150-kilometre walk that started from Tihange nuclear power plant near Namur in Wallonia on April 15. The march was organised by Les Amis de la Terre and Mother Earth, the Wallonia and Flemish Friends of the Earth groups in Belgium.
See photos at http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2006/joint_26_April_Doel.htm
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AUSTRIA
In Austria , a big coalition of anti-nuclear groups started with a joint action on the Day. GLOBAL 2000 collected signatures at various places in the city of Vienna - not at least in a special tram ("climate tram"). In the tram, citizens could get information about the Chernobyl disaster and could sign the petition. This was followed by an anti-nuclear film event. In the evening, a commemoration event took place in the centre of Vienna with speeches, music and candles to remember the victims of Chernobyl.
See photos at http://www.global2000.at/pages/paatom060426.htm
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HUNGARY
In Hungary, actions took place in 9 cities/towns each Wednesday through May. Energy Club, Greenpeace, Protect The Future! and MTVSZ / Friends of the Earth Hungary organised an "In Memorian Chernobyl event" on the evening of 26 April with speeches and 1700 candles forming a 10m diameter nuclear sign. At 9pm Gabor Demszky, the Chief Mayor of Budapest turned off the the city lights of Budapest for ten minutes.
Visit the joint website for this campaign: www.csernobil.hu
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SPAIN
Amigos de la Tierra / Friends of the Earth Spain issued a press release on nuclear energy to commemorate the catastrophe of Chernobyl and to launch the petition. This happened in the context of the closure on 30 April of the nuclear plant Zorita in central Spain.
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