SAINT-PAUL-TROIS-CHATEAUX , France, July 15, AFP - Police have arrested 29 Greenpeace activists who sneaked into a nuclear plant in southern France, in the latest break-in by the environmental group aimed at highlighting alleged security weaknesses at atomic facilities.
The activists managed to enter the grounds of the Tricastin plant, around 200km north of Marseille, around dawn, Greenpeace and police said.
They hung yellow banners reading "Tricastin: a nuclear accident" and "Francois Hollande: president of a catastrophe?" in reference to the French president, according to Isabelle Philippe, a spokeswoman for the environmental group.
Before entering the facility, the activists also projected images inside the plant, including one showing a crack running along part of the structure.
"Greenpeace wants to point out all the security weaknesses in the production of nuclear energy," she said.
"Tricastin is one of the most dangerous plants and one of five that should be closed quickly.
"It was the easiest thing in the world for the activists to enter the plant, it took them 20 minutes to get from the entrance to the top of the structures."
The interior ministry said all the activists had been detained in a full sweep of the facility. It had taken several hours to arrest them all, after some had chained themselves to structures inside the plant.
Among those arrested were French, Italian, Romanian and Spanish nationals.
The EDF energy giant that runs France's atomic power plants said that the activists did not manage to reach any sensitive areas within the site.
Greenpeace has staged several break-ins at French nuclear plants in recent years in an effort to highlight what they say are dangers of atomic power and to expose security problems at the power stations.
Share
