THE ACTION IN CHALON

GREENPEACE BLOCKS PLUTONIUM TRAFFIC
To stop the plutonium industry is stop nuclear proliferation !

Wednesday February 19th, 2003

Latest news: the 25 activists were arrested in the afternoon and held by police authorities. The truck carrying 150 kg of plutonium has "disappeared". It won't, for once, be spending the night in the Chalon-sur-Saone army barracks...

At 11h30 this Wednesday morning, in the very centre of Chalon-sur-Saone, 25 Greenpeace activists blocked a truck transporting close to 150 kg of plutonium. They chained themselves to the wheels and to the front of the truck, and unfolded banners.

The truck had started its journey at the Areva/Cogema plant in La Hague (La Manche department), and was heading for the Marcoule nuclear site (Gard department). Greenpeace's intent, through this action, is to denounce - publicly and peacefully - the quasi-daily traffic across France of significant quantities of plutonium.

The transport of these extremely dangerous materials must cease, as must also cease the main cause of atomic weapon proliferation: the plutonium industry.

Interview - Y. Rousselet (Chalon-sur-Saône - .wav - 811ko - French)

Every week, generally on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays, at the same time, and with exactly the same itinerary, trucks leave the La Hague plant for the Marcoule or Cadarache plants in the Rhone valley. Each of these trucks transports the equivalent of twenty atomic bombs. This traffic, controlled by the Defence High Commissioner, is performed with total disregard for local populations and elected representatives, who are completely unaware of its existence. Yet a terrorist act or an accident could cause an unprecedented catastrophe, and contaminate entire regions for decades.

Greenpeace's blocking this truck within meters of the "Carnot" army barracks entrance comes as a patent demonstration that nuclear industry attempts (in this case those of Areva/Cogema) to distinguish between "civil" and military nuclear activities are no more than communication contrivances. The nuclear industry is not just another industry, far from it. Plutonium serves primarily military objectives. It was invented to make atomic bombs, and will always represent an enormous risk for populations around the world. There is no such thing as a civil nuclear activity. The operation of the plutonium industry is intimately built around this military system. A dramatic example is provided by the north-Korean regime's use of its "civil" nuclear program, of American origin, to make atomic weapons now used to threaten the United States.

This non-violent act places itself purposefully within the context of the international Iraqi crisis, in which nuclear proliferation is a major issue. The President of the Republic is today refusing the Bush administration's warmongering with courage, and countering a logic of war, with uncertain but dramatic consequences, with a logic of peaceful disarmament.

"Monsieur Chirac must now carry this law and disarmament logic further. He must take the initiative, and make a break with the practices of the nuclear-equipped countries that trample international disarmament treaties such as the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (Bush administration in the lead). The Security Council's permanent members, also the main bearers of weapons of mass destruction, would do far better to apply these treaties immediately. In other words, they must stop selling so-called civil technologies, easily employed to military ends, to anyone who can pay, and have done with a plutonium industry that is intimately related to nuclear proliferation" states Yannick Rousselet, Greenpeace-France nuclear campaign coordinator. "There is more plutonium in the truck that Greenpeace has just blocked than in the entire Middle-East. Nuclear industry irresponsibility, such as that of Areva/Cogema, is the primary cause of atomic weapon proliferation. Proliferation must be stopped at the source !".

At Greenpeace's request, Wise-Paris (World Information Service on Energy) consultants have performed a comprehensive study of all plutonium industry associated transport. The result is extremely alarming : each year, approximately 90 shipments containing a total of 12 tons of plutonium powder criss-cross France. It takes approximately 8 kilograms of this material to make an atomic bomb, therefore, each year, the equivalent of 1500 bombs are on the move. Wise-Paris consultants also evaluated the impact of various potential accident scenarios. These scenarios represent veritable human and environmental catastrophes.

As part of its efforts to fulfil its informative role with regard to this completely opaque sector, and in order to provide comprehensive details concerning the plutonium industry's transportation, Greenpeace has just launched www.stop-plutonium.org. Greenpeace considers it its responsibility to make this information public in order that these ultra-dangerous transports cease. As you will see on this site, the protection of these shipments, considered top secret by public authorities, is minimal. Indeed, it was easy for a small group of activists to identify, observe, follow and photograph them, and yet remain completely unnoticed.

To prevent proliferation of military nuclear or terrorist activities, to avoid terrible threats to human health and the environment: the plutonium industry and its costly, dangerous and useless traffic must be stopped immediately.