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Post Info TOPIC: Anti-nuclear protester killed by waste train
10kBq jaro

Date:
Anti-nuclear protester killed by waste train



November 7, 2004


http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041107/wl_afp/france_germany_nuclear


Anti-nuclear protester killed by waste train


World - AFP



STRASBOURG, France (AFP) - An anti-nuclear protester died in northeastern France after being run over by a train carrying nuclear waste from France to Germany, regional authorities said.


The 21-year-old man, who had chained himself to the railway near the city of Nancy, lost a leg after he was crushed by the train and died despite receiving emergency treatment at the scene.


The authorities said the accident happened in the early afternoon in the town of Avricourt after a group of eight people gathered near the main Paris to Strasbourg line, on which the nuclear transport train was travelling.


"After coming out of a corner at reduced speed, the train was apparently confronted with the group, which moved out of the way with the exception of one person, who was hit," a police statement said.


"Despite the arrival of the emergency services at the scene, the young man died of his injuries," the statement said.


The police did not reveal the man's identity, but said he was aged 21, was "probably" from the Meuse region in eastern France and was part of a group of activists.


Nancy state prosecutor Michel Senthille said that one of the man's legs had been cut off in the incident, contradicting an earlier statement by the regional authorities who had said that both the man's legs had been sectioned.


Earlier the train, which was carrying treated nuclear waste from the French plant at La Hague to Gorleben in northern Germany, was delayed for two hours near Nancy as police removed two protestors who had also chained themselves to the railway lines.


Senthille said that the man who died was not thought to have had links with this group.


The train, which left the retreatment plant at La Hague on Saturday evening, crossed on to German soil at 8:35 pm (1935GMT) Sunday, almost exactly 24 hours later.


It carries 12 containers of spent fuel and is the seventh such consignment to be sent back to Germany since 1996.


A member of protest group Nuclear Out, Gilbert Poirot, said about a dozen protesters had been involved, all of them French nationals.


"It appears that the demonstrators had not put in place safety measures destined to warn the convoy of their presence," he said.


The German Greens Party, which forms part of the German governing coalition, said it was stunned by the death of the demonstrator.


"We deeply regret this tragic death," a spokesman said, adding that he expected a thorough investigation be carried out into the incident.


It called on demonstrators not to risk their lives, an appeal echoed by another anti-nuclear group.


At Hitzacker, 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Gorleben, several hundred people gathered with candles and lanterns in a spontaneous tribute to the dead man.


A spokesman from French nuclear energy firm COGEMA, which manages La Hague nuclear plant said the incident was "a tragedy" and that officials organising the convoy had been "extremely shocked".


On Saturday thousands of anti-nuclear protestors had gathered in northern Germany to protest at the imminent arrival of the shipment.


After demonstrating in Danneberg market square on Saturday, protestors gathered at the railway station and also temporarily blocked the tracks to be used by the train.


From Dannenberg the consignment will be taken by road to Gorleben.


Anti-nuclear and environmental campaigners say the shipments are dangerous and that the waste will contaminate the water table at Gorleben.


Germany, which has no treatment facilities of its own, sends spent fuel rods for reprocessing at the La Hague plant before they are returned here for storage.



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10kBq jaro

Date:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11337710%255E2703,00.html


Train fatality fuels nuclear anger


AFP, November 10, 2004


<quote>


Amid sorrow and anger over the death of the 21 year old man , who had attached himself to the track near the eastern French city of Nancy, a number of defiant activists blocked the tracks near Uelzen in northern Germany.


[.....]


A representative from a regional organisation opposed to the shipments, Dieter Metk, said the death of the protester had only mobilised resistance.


<end quote>


Photo : a group of protestors chained to the same railway where the protester died.


Time to start nominating antinukes for this year's Darwin Awards ?



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Glom

Date:

Martyrdom?  What more do you expect?  I don't know by what perversion of logic that justify using the death of a protestor who endangered his life by effectively wakling in the path of a train as an example of the eevils of nuclear power, but then since when has logic ever had anything to do this lot?

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GoogleNaut

Date:

I don't see how this demonstrates the 'evils' of nuclear power at all. The exact same thing would have happened had the man chained himself to a track of a train hauling baby formula or toilet paper. I have seen this sort of thing with Earth Firsters chaining themselves to logging trucks. I once saw a news photo of a mother placing her toddler in front of the wheels of a log truck to prevent its passing! 'Martyrdom?'
I think not.

It's 'Martyr-DUMB!'

You have freedom of speech--use it. Publish newsletters--do research. Make logical arguments before congress. Have debates, rallies, whatever. Carry signs proclaiming your position--that's fine. But for God's sake, don't chain yourselves to a train track or place your babies in harm's way and then call it 'Martyrdom.!' I think the world has had quite enough martyrs as it is.

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