Finnish police arrest 30 protesters in anti-nuclear demonstration

Activists blocking main road leading to Olkiluoto nuclear power plant fined for refusing to follow police orders

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On Saturday, Finnish police apprehended about 30 protesters who were demonstrating in Eurajoki against additional nuclear construction.
      Two of Finland's four existing nuclear power plants are on the island of Olkiluoto in Eurajoki, in Southwestern Finland, about 15 kilometres from Rauma, and a third is under construction at the site.
     
The protesters were trying to obstruct traffic on the roads leading to the site of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. For a short while, they blocked for example Highway 8 and Olkiluodontie that leads to the plant complex.
      In the morning, the police still announced that the demonstration was peaceful, but in the afternoon, the protesters blocked the main road leading to the power plant, refusing to obey police orders to get off the road.
      ”Those who refused to withdraw on their own were taken by bus to the Rauma police station”, reports Chief Inspector Lars Grönroos from the Satakunta Police Department. Grönroos says that a pecuniary penalty was imposed on the detainees for refusing to follow police orders.
     
Earlier the same day, the police also closed off Olkiluodontie, allowing only plant workers to use the road. Grönroos says that the police had no option but to close off the road in order to prevent the protesters from chaining themselves together on the road.
      ”The only road leading to the power plant has to stay open purely for security reasons”, Grönroos notes.
      According to Anna Lehtiranta, Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations at Teollisuuden Voima, the demonstration did not hamper the operation of the power plant.
     
Teollisuuden Voima is a Finnish electricity generating company that owns and operates the two nuclear power plant units in Olkiluoto.
      ”All employees were given access to their workplace and the power plant could continue to operate”, Lehtiranta reports.
      A group of people involving domestic and foreign anti-nuclear power protesters demonstrated against additional nuclear construction in Finland.
      ”Finland is now constructing an experimental nuclear reactor which will be the largest in the world, and of the likes of which nobody has any earlier experience”, argues Tarna Kannisto, one of the protesters taking part in the demonstration.
     
In the protesters’ view, the plans to construct another two reactors (Finland's sixth and seventh) should be forgotten, as carrying out those plans would increase the volume of nuclear waste and transportation in Finland.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Greens plan to vote against further nuclear reactors (7.10.2009)
  Construction work on Olkiluoto III nuclear reactor to experience further major delays (20.4.2010)

See also:
  Parliament to decide on new nuclear power plants on July 1st (20.5.2010)
  Government endorses two new nuclear reactors (22.4.2010)

Links:
  Olkiluoto III (Wikipedia)
  Teollisuuden Voima

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