On 6th of April, anti-nuclear activists blocked the entire traffic to the Fennovoima-Rosatom’s nuclear power plant construction site at Pyhäjoki, Finland. In total the blockade lasted roughly two to two-and-a-half hours.
For now, there is only one road leading to the construction site that can take the heavy machinery. This road connects to a smaller one, leading to quarries used for massive landfills now being carried out at the site. Such a detail makes the construction site quite vulnerable for different methods of direct action.
The activists blocked in total three trucks, causing the vehicles to close down the rest of the traffick. One activist climbed onto a truckroof on a road from the quarries to the connection road leading to the construction site, bringing the vehicle to stop. Two other trucks were blocked on the connection road, one by an activist equipped with a heavy-set lock-on tube. The activist locked on very close to the fuel tank of the vehicle: this, combined with the structure and material of the lock-on, proved itself to be a bit of a problem for the police.
After some checking, confused looks and plenty of sigh’ing the police moved further away, shaking their heads and trying to figure out something. After a while the truck driver called in, independently from the police, two of his colleagues to dismantle part of the truck, removing the activist with the lock-on instead of trying to open the device. – It took some good yanking, sweating, swearing and sledge hammering to take out the entire coverings of the fuel tank, the activist repored, with a wide grin.
The activist on the truckroof was eventually removed with a cherrypicker. The police had some trouble bringing the heavy vehicle onto a narrow spot on the road, only doing so after they had tried to bring the activist down via the roof window of the vehicle, failing to get it opened.
Fennovoima-Rosatom still does not have the actual construction permit for the nuclear plant it’s aiming to build. The company also lstill acks the plan of how and where to store the plant’s nuclear waste. Fennovoima-Rosatom has until June 2016 to present the plan concerning the waste issue: if they fail to do so, the construction permit should not be legally possible to be permitted. The anti-nuclear activists still do not hold their hopes high. What is currently happening and what has been so far constructed at the site have been done under the municipality-leadership-given permits for ”land scpaping” and ”preliminary works, such us road construction, massive clear-cuts, landfills and blastings.
At the moment the Fennovoima-Rosatom construction site works on in with a speeded-up timetable. Some of the machines work on seven days a week, truck working with the landfills drive on six days a week, from six AM to late night hours. Local residents have been contacting the protest camp over the noise and disturbance epecially the heavy traffick is causing.
Looks like Fennovoima-Rosatom aims to get us much destruction done before the soon-starting bird nesting season that theoretically should stop some of the work – and before Reclaim the Cape -action week (22.4.-1.5.2016) that will bring a nice bunch of anti-nuclear activists and other enviromentalists or antimilitarists to the area.
Fennovoima, Securitas, arson – and ear pounding silence
When checking the interwebs on 29th of March we found an interesting contradiction.
The local yellow press price winner, Ilta-Sanomatm published a short article about two magically self-combusted cars of the private security company Securitas. At the same time an anonymous operator claimed responsibility on torching these vehicles, stating the following: ”With this attack we want to bring to light the co-operation between Securitas and Fennovoima nuclear energy company that is known for its destruction of the environment. The 1st of April will be the first day that Securitas will be in charge of (security of) the construction site in Hanhikivenniemi, where the nuclear plant is meant to be built. With this arson we welcome Securitas to Fennovoima!”
Takku.net is, by its own definition, a do-it-yourself alternative media project: and for many state officials and regular citizens, it strongly connects to the anarchist scene and other forms of grass root radicalism.
This time the Pyhäjoki anti-nuclear protest camp doesn’ comment on the practice of burning vehcles or Takku.net. In this particular case, we see something much more interesting to poke at.
Silence around the Fennovoima-Rosatom roject has been notoriously ear pounding ever since Rosatom came along on 2014. Couple of heavy duty journalists and selected party politicians have wondered over this phenomenon, stating that they’re never before experienced such during their careers: usually when you publish an article with strong statements and unpleasant information, the target of it at least publishes that usual “well it surely wasn’t like that and on what this journalist has to back up their claims?” -feedback. In Fennovoima’s case: just – silence.
Statements and comments of Rosatom simply just using nuclear power as a tool for geopolitics and as a method of attaching states to Russian interests with financial ties has been left cathegoricly unanswered. The president Sauli Niinistö and minister Olli Rehn have turned coats over nuclear power in general after visits to Moscow started a regular pace – not to forget the nomination of yesterday’s Finnish politicians. The former Prime Minister Esko Aho just got a post from Sperbank, a Russian bank directly under command of Kreml and one of the financiator’s of Rosatom and the post box company Migrit, wich was used to arrange more time for Fennovoima during summer 2015 to have their licence papers sorted out in given time.
Now, Takku.net is a source yellow press has so far loved to use as a source for high-flying, click-gathering articles and speculations about radicals, anarchists, ecoterrorists and other grass root movements they like to give funky names to. But this time something’s different: there’s a claim of responsibility and an open statement about politically motivated arson, of a direct attack at law and order – and no yellow paper goes poking on it. No media channel pick on it. Earlier on, they have sank their teeth on anything available on such topics, truthful or not, no difference: it’s the speculations and big headlines that sell. But this they decided to look the other way.
We do not speculate. We just observe. What could possibly be a reason big, scary or important enough to leave such a click-gatherer untouched? After all, we all know Fennovoima-Rosatom is not about energy politics, but simple geopolitics. So profoundly perhaps, that even the commercial media bows their heads to that?
Come to Reclaim the Cape -action week with common transportation!
We are arranging two busses from Helsinki to the Reclaim the Cape -action week. Action week is at Pyhäjoki on 22th of April – 1th of May. First bus will drive via Tampere and the second bus is taking the following route: Helsinki-Lahti-Jyväskylä-Kokkola-Pyhäjoki.
This registration and the bus ride are only for those who will be coming with the bus for sure: and will pay their tickets. So don’t registrate yourself if you aren’t coming for sure.
We are also trying to arrange a return-transportation for 27th of April from Pyhäjoki to Helsinki (via Kokkola, Jyväskylä and Lahti). We will inform you as soon as possible if the ride will be arranged: latest on 16th of April anyway. The ride back depends entirely on how many registered customers it will get.
Timetables, routes, registration information:
Departure from Helsinki will be 8AM on Saturday 23th of April. At Tampere the bus will be around 10.15AM, other cities will be informed later. Price for one person will be 20-30 euros.
Send the following information before 14th of April to address pyhajoelle [at] riseup.net:
– Name/nickname:
– I will join the ride from Helsinki/Tampere/Lahti/Jyväskylä/Kokkola):
– I’ll pay 20/25/30 euros):
Registrate yourself to the return-transportation by sending the following information before 14th of April to address pyhajoelle [at] riseup.net:
– Name/nickname:
– Where you want to get out of the bus (Kokkola/Jyväskylä/Lahti/Helsinki):
– Price: 20e/25e/30e
If you come from Kokkola, you can pay as much as you feel like.
See you at Pyhäjoki!
What to pack, what to bring?
As some have asked, we present you with a little bit of a list of needed things and artefacts to pack and bring with:
– sleeping bag + sleeping mattress: please, pay attention to the average degrees of Finnish April when choosing these. We also recommend to bring your own tent, to guarantee your comfortability and privacy.
– headtorch or a small torch alike. Evenings will still be dark and nature will not provide you with that many street lights.
– smart and sturdy shoes that won’t wet through right away: combat boots, hiking boots and such stuff. We do not recommend sneakers or canvas shoes alike.
– rain clothes and windbreakers: we recommend a set of a jacket + trousers.
– long sleeves and long underpants. Thick or woolly socks and good gloves. Fleece and wool are good materials. It’s not winter, but it’s nice to stay comfortable.
– by bringing your own mug + spoon you minimize the time spent in dishwashing lines.
– a little set to keep your camping hygiene: whatever that means for you. Wetwipes, dry shampoos, blister treatment stuff and such are things liked by many.
– many like to have a Leatherman-styled multitool or a small pocket knife and some gaffer tape with them.
– the accessories and trinkets you think you need for your own spesific plans and don’t trust you’ll get them from here.
https://fennovoima.no.com/en/2016/04/entire-traffic-fennovoima-rosatom-nuke-plant-construction-site-blocked/