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Greenpeace protests inside French nuclear plant | Greenpeace protests inside French nuclear plant |
(about 9 hours later) | |
French police have arrested at least 29 Greenpeace environmental activists who broke into a nuclear plant. | |
Greenpeace said the activists reached the walls of the reactors in the Tricastin plant in southern France. | |
However the interior ministry said the protesters, in several groups, did not reach the most secure areas. | |
The activists projected huge anti-nuclear slogans onto the outside walls. Most of France's electricity comes from nuclear power. | The activists projected huge anti-nuclear slogans onto the outside walls. Most of France's electricity comes from nuclear power. |
Tricastin is in the town of Pierrelatte, some 200km (120 miles) north of Marseille. | |
One slogan projected onto the walls read: "Tricastin: nuclear accident". Another, next to a picture of President Francois Hollande, said: "President of a disaster?" | |
Police said French activists were accompanied by Italians, Romanians and Spaniards. Some chained themselves to parts of the building, making the police operation to detain them difficult. | Police said French activists were accompanied by Italians, Romanians and Spaniards. Some chained themselves to parts of the building, making the police operation to detain them difficult. |
Jean-Vincent Place, a prominent Green politician and French senator, told Europe 1 radio the Greenpeace action "shows that getting inside one of these extremely dangerous plants is a bit like passing through a sieve". | Jean-Vincent Place, a prominent Green politician and French senator, told Europe 1 radio the Greenpeace action "shows that getting inside one of these extremely dangerous plants is a bit like passing through a sieve". |
"With this action, Greenpeace is asking Francois Hollande to close the Tricastin plant, which is among the five most dangerous in France," Yannick Rousselet of Greenpeace said in a statement. | |
"If being physically able to touch the reactors is not being in a sensitive place, I don't know what is. | |
"People with bad intentions could have posed a threat to the reactor's safety." | |
France's nuclear security authority said it began an emergency meeting at 07:15 (05:15 GMT) on Monday. It said the infiltration had not posed any risk to the plant's safety. | France's nuclear security authority said it began an emergency meeting at 07:15 (05:15 GMT) on Monday. It said the infiltration had not posed any risk to the plant's safety. |
But French interior ministry officials, quoted by the TF1 news website, said there would be a review of security at French nuclear plants. | But French interior ministry officials, quoted by the TF1 news website, said there would be a review of security at French nuclear plants. |