Day

live

10:44 Tuesday 06:00h:

Castor trucks have arrived in the Gorleben
interim storage hall. Resistance along the last 70 kilometres: Pictures at http://de.indymedia.org/2005/11/133404.shtml.

05:48 Castor truck convoy arrives in the village of Gorleben.

05:36 In the village of Grippel the Castor trucks wind past a blockading tractor problem-free.

05:28 Castor trucks pass Langendorf.

04:59 The last low-loader truck carrying a Castor has left the reloading facility in Dannenberg. The gate is shut again.

04:49 The Castors leave the crane compound at

04:43 h and take the north route.

04:43 The first Castor drives out the gate.

04:36 Activists in trees at the exit of Grippel in the direction of Laase, police light up the area where they are.

04:26 In Grippel there are four people in trees. Two are above the road and two on trees right and left of the road.

04:12 So far 75 arrests/detentions of people registered.

03:46 In Grippel the tractor has been driven off the road.

03:42 The police “cherry-picker” truck at the tree house in Quickborn has driven away again. Because the tree is on private land they leave the people in the tree house.

03:11 In Quickborn police try to take down the tree house of Robin Wood and to clear the area. Complete removal of the tractor with the remaining nine people still fails because of a 1 cm high kerb stone.

02:10 At the tractor with six chained-on people, all of them were got out of a concrete block. At the tractor with 11 people two women have been got out of the concrete block. Nine people are still chained on.

01:11 Grippel: Police try to get the tractor off the road. One side of the tractor with 11 chained-on people is already mounted on rolling blocks.

00:24 While the tractor with 11 people chained on it is being cleared away, about 100 bystanders are pushed brutally by police into yard or house entranceways. There are injuries, doctors and attorneys are on the spot. Monday

11.50 pm Reports of a new blockade between Gorleben and the storage compound.

11.00 Reports of a blockade neat Quickborn by "Robin Wood" and farmers.

11.36 One activist still chained on at the tractor blockade in Grippel. After several failed attempts to remove him, police have called for technical reinforcements.

9.51 pm: The last Caster is lifted off the train onto a truck.

9.51 Fire on the road Dannenberg and Gorleben.

9.50 Blockades at various locations along the transport route. A punk concert taking place at the Mastenweg.

9.00 A hearse still blocks the route at Grippel. Seven people are concreted into a block chained to a tractor. The technical unit of the police can’t disperse the blockade. A conflict manager of the police is beaten up by one of his colleagues. The incident happened at the chaining-on action in Grippel at one of the tractors. The conflict manager was punched in the face. The Berlin police unit had been tasked massively and determinedly to push back demonstrators. But these had nowhere to retreat to because police were pushing people towards the tractor that was in the way. One of the conflict managers found this situation completely incommensurate and demanded that the police stop their action. He made a hand sign that could be construed as meaning, ‘you’re out of your minds’. Then he was punched by a colleague. Colleagues pulled both of them into the rear rows where they continued their punch-up.

7.50 At Gusborn a farmer is seriously injured by a policeman kicking him in the face with a steel-reinforced boot. Probably a fractured cheekbone. The farmer is taken to hospital.

7.20 Two blockades in Gorleben. One of 300 people on the road to Laase, the other of 400-600 on the road to Gedelitz. The police now disperse the blockade and confiscate a loudspeaker vehicle.

7.00 Only eight of the 12 Castors reloaded. 400 to 600 people encircled by police near Gorleben. Third police call (required by law) to leave the road. On the southern route the road is still b locked by a hearse with chained-on people. Police there quiet so far. Red Cross paramedics sent away and no longer allowed to use their vehicles.

6.36 At Grippel two tractors block the southern and northern routes. At each of them are several people who have chained themselves to concrete blocks.

6.21 The road at Gusborn is burning and more blockades are set up. Metal puncturing devices (‘crows’ feet’) on the road.

6.14 Burning barricades near Gusborn. Police very brutal.

6.13 A second hearse with chained-on people blocks the road.

5.48 At Grippel six people have chained themselves to a tractor.

5.41 About 1,000 people blocking roads at four places around Gorleben.

5.33 A hearse blocks the road near Langendorf. Inside it is a cement block with people chained to it.

5.21 A sit-down blockade was dispersed in Gorleben; no arrests; people moving on to another blockade.

3.20 Police cause a blockade near Lasse (north route) when three police trucks and a car try to take a shortcut and find themselves amid a herd of cattle.

2.30 The third Castor offloaded onto a truck. About 400 people on the road near Quickborn. Almost 200 are near Gorleben, where police are trying to keep the road clear.

12:00 The train arrives in Dannenberg, having left La Hague in northern France Saturday afternoon. The Castors are now lifted onto low-loader trucks, which will take six to eight hours.

11:45 30 big straw bales burning on the road near Harlingen, although the train has passed. The smoke is visible from far away and police use water cannon to extinguish.

11:34 The Castor has reached Hitzacker and is constantly circled by three helicopters.

11:04 The Castor train has reached the station of Leitstade – very slow - 15min for 1.8 km.

11:00 23 people have sat down on the track near Pommoissel (west of Hitzacker), were removed by police and arrested. One demonstrator was seriously injured and had to be taken to hospital.

10:30 People still b locking the railway line at several places. The Castor train has managed to travel only 20 km in the past 1 ½ hours.

0:10 Two or three blockades, each with about 50 people, at various places.

10:00 Reports that police are using pepper spray against some demonstrators.

9:00 Police find brake-shoes on the rails.

9.00 About 300 people on the track near Hitzacker. Police try to clear the rails.

8.55 The Castor train drives slowly out of Lüneburg but has to stop again. Police secure the route with water cannon and heavy removal vehicles. Monday afternoon: Castor caskets being loaded off train on to trucks for the last 20 km to the Gorben storage hall. Anti-nuclear activists have four times stopped the train taking the 12 caskets of highly radioactive nuclear waste from France to Gorleben in north Germany. The log: Twelve Castor caskets being reloaded off the train onto low-loader trucks in Dannenberg, about 20 km from the Gorleben “interim” storage hall. Not clear whether the convoy will run today or tomorrow. The French nuclear processing company Cogema says the Castors contain 175 tonnes of highly radioactive fission materials and 586 tonnes of uranium fused into glass.

The Castor train was stopped by two rail blockades in Göttingen-Weende, delaying it by half an hour. Thirty activists twice succeeded in getting onto the track. The train had to stop at 1.42 a.m. in Göttingen station because at Weende 20 men and women were on the rails. When they had been removed, more activists got onto the track 100 metres further on, so that the train had to stop once more and was finally able to continue on its way at 2.13 a.m. At the same time police encircled a spontaneous demonstration on the Weender rural road by 20 people who were briefly detained. At least two were driven off to a prisoner collection point.

02:13 Castor train leaves Göttingen, about an hour behind schedule. 

01:45 Castor drives slowly through Göttingen +++ 2 rail blockades were cleared away. +

00:34 Castor train through Kassel heading for Göttingen.

8:09 pm About 50 activists await the train in Fulda outside the railway station, informing the public about Castor dangers. Several actions planned. 0160 - 992 181 52 

7.16 p.m. Still 100 tractors in Gusborn. 

7.13 p.m. Police confiscate tractors, let those go who leave voluntarily. 

7.10 pm Third call (required by law) by the police to clear the road of blockading tractors in Gusborn.

6.37 p.m. Pictures from Dahlenburg of a vigil along the route Lüneburg-Dannenberg 

5.54 p.m. Activists allege police sabotaged nine of their bicycles on private land in the Göhrde area by slashing tires, loosening or unscrewing nuts, cutting brake cables and destroying valves. Police are investigating. 

5.47 p.m. http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/133140.shtml pictures of activists running themselves warn and getting acquainted with the terrain in the Göhrde forest, to be traversed by the Castor train during the night. 

5.26 p.m. At http://germany.indymedia.org/openposting/ a report that Nazis are using the absence of many activists at the Castor protests to mount activitities. 

5.15 p.m. Castor train through Heilbronn. The follow-up train consists of an electric locomotive and four diesel locomotives. It follows the Castor train with some delay. No accompanying helicopter.

Train started rolling again at 5.45 p.m. after a delay of one and a half hours. A passenger train using the same route waited 300 metres from the Castor train to continue. A spokesman for the activists said the dangerous radiation from the Castors could damage the passengers at such a short distance.

4.48 p.m. http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/133131.shtml tractors block a unit of special police in Tollendorf. Pictures 

4.39 p.m. http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/133126.shtml Activists claim 1,000 people in small groups in Göhrde forest, blocking paths with waste and freshly cut timber. Helicopter circling all the while. Police spoke of a bus tipped over and attempts to saw through the rails.  A group of 14 activists stopped the train in Bietigheim with a sit-down blockade. Police apparently taken by surprise. Activists removed from track. Technical emergency service at work with heavy equipment.  Train blocked near Bietigheim since about 4.10 p.m.  For the route to Heilbronn the route is assumed to be Pforzheim - Mühlacker - Bietigheim-Bissingen – Heilbronn. 3 p.m. through Berghausen. Following the Castor train is another train consisting of five diesel locomotives  CASTOR ran through Grötzingen, further routed probably through Heilbronn, where police presence is heavy.

2:37 p.m. through Knielingen, train now differently assembled: two red locomotives, 6 passenger carriages, the first blue, 12 Castor cars, six passenger carriages, two red locomotives. Nothing known about a train in front or following.

Train departs Wörth 2.38 p.m.  Castor train reached Wörth at the Franco-German border. Police seized 40-50 activists. Train had run at high speed through France. Near Arras there were scuffles with police. Cars of the train being rearranged in Wörth. Train expected to start off at 2 p.m. Indications it will run Karlsruhe - Pforzheim - Bietigheim-Bissingen – Heilbronn. Police helicopter also watching Karlsruhe – Mannheim.

About 20 police personnel carriers in Wörth, many other smaller vehicles.  Train sequence: green locomotive, blue locomotive, painted passenger car, unpainted passenger car, 12 Castor cars, painted passenger cars, blue locomotive Pressestelle der südwestdeutschen Anti-Atom-Initiativen Mobile 0160 - 992 181 52  Press conference set for noon in Dannenberg Attorney charges police blocking access to media. Courts have declared illegal 2,000 police seizures of people during Castor transports since 2001. Francis Althoff, Bürgerinitiative Umweltschutz Lüchow- Dannenberg BI-Presseteam (05861) 986527, (0171) 545 46 84, 00170) 939 46 84

Change of police personnel from French to German

After train passed Avricourt, where Sébastien Briat was killed by last year’s Castor train, at 10:30, about 20 activists erected a memorial plaque beside the track, candles and flowers were placed. No accompanying helicopter in Lorraine. Thick fog, train running at high speed. Reding 9:29-10:02: Locomotives changed (now diesel), new mechanics, drinks for cops on train. Bischheim 11:05: 30 demonstrators see train pass at 40-50 km/h. Lots of press, police holding back. At midday local road to be renamed "rue des Castors"

Members of Greenpeace group Kaiserslautern protested at central railway station. Train due to cross border around midday at Woerth/Lauterbourg. Eveline Marasas

Maxéville (just before Nancy) 07:45 activists stop train for a quarter of an hour. No accompanying helicopter. Police push 60 activists out of the station. Train running 16 minutes ahead of schedule, apparently leaving out planned stops. Apparently being pushed through as fast as possible. 

In Nancy 8:09 a.m. Shortly before there were scuffles between about 60 protesters and police. No other action in or near Nancy. The 60 activists moved on to Avricourt. At that time no helicopter accompanied the train. Passed Arras Voyageurs at 2:05 a.m..

Police hindering media reporting in Wendland on unprecedented scale. Reporters kept away from population and protest groups. Court ruling sought to lift assembly ban. German newspaper publishers recently complained of a creeping erosion of press freedom in Germany.

In the evening 200-300 people blocked Federal Road 216 between Lüneburg ande Dannenberg with tractors and barricades. Police stretched to take control of traffic. When straw bales burned the road was closed for several hours. Pictures at http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/133076.shtml

http://anti-atom-aktuell.de

and http://goehrde.plentyfact.net

Train with 12 Castors set off from Valogne around 5.25 p.m.. Expected in Wendland Monday morning if nothing holds it up. Links at http://x1000hamburg.de

Demo pictures at http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/133033.shtml

and http://germany.indymedia.org/2005/11/133023.shtml

  Castor has no safety certificate, documentation kept secret: http://de.indymedia.org/2005/11/133014.shtml

  French nuclear opponents report at 4.35 p.m. that they have the second confirmation that the Castor train has to be punctual because a large strike is to start at 8 p.m. on Monday. The train stands in Valognes, only the start of it visible: 2 green diesel locomotives, 1 passenger car “painted” with advertising, 1 normal passenger car, 12 Castors?, 2 passenger cars?, 1 diesel locomotive? Normal police and CRS riot police are “protecting” all bridges. Police have been waiting since the morning.

The page http://www.sortirdunucleaire.org/index.php?menu=agir&sousmenu=actions&soussousmenu=transports&page=index#Valognes
is kept up to date.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 06:00
Gorleben: The Castor transport has arrived at the temporary storage facility.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 05:36
Grippel: The Castor transport got by the obstacles wthout difficulty.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 05:28
The Castor transport has passed Langendorf

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 04:59
The last low-lowder Castor truck has left the crane facility about
04:43. The North route has been chosen.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 04:26
Grippel: four protestors are hanging
in trees, two on either side of the street.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 02:15
Greetings from Austria: "Although we
cannot be with you at this time, we are following the ticker. We
admire and are proud of you. Your comrade resistors,"

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 02:07
Grippel: Six chained protestors,
including two women, have been removed from one of the concrete
blocks. They have been arrested and brought to prison. There are nine
others still not removed.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 01:12
All along the way there are
protestors sitting in trees. They have been discovered and lit up by
helicopters.

Monday, November 21, 2005 18:38
At Gorleben, 300 people sitting on the street at the Information House have been encircled by police. Nevertheless, their mood is good.

Monday, November 21, 2005 18:36
Two tractors are stationed at Grippel where the transport route divides (into either north or south routes.) Each tractor carries a huge concrete block onto which seven people have been secured. Thus either route can be blocked.

Monday, November 21, 2005 18:21
Gross Gusborn: At the town limits on the road to Grippel there is a fire. Wooden barricades have been set up. Tire-puncture devices are in place on the road. There are 300 people on the street.

Monday, November 21, 2005 18:15:20
Grippel: The police have attacked vigorously. The concrete blocks together with the demonstrators have been shoved to the roadside. An accompaning hearse carrying three people was deliberatly crushed (caved in) with the occupants still inside.

Monday, November 21, 2005 18:09
Langendorf: At the action where protestors have been chained together
in the street, reporters from the major German media are on hand to
witness the police actions. The red cross ambulance (a public service
vehicle)was ordered to leave the area.

Monday, November 21, 2005 17:52
Langendorf: two occupants have been pulled out of the caved-in hearse. One person is still trapped inside, but the police think they can release him soon.

Monday, November 21, 2005 17:41
Gorleben: 1000 blockaders are sitting at four points -- roads to Gedelitz and Laase. central turning from Laase, and mid-town. Monday, November 21, 2005 17:21 The sitting blockade from the WiderSetzen group has been cleared by police. The demonstrators have been released and they are therefore free to join the next blockade.

CASTOR NEUTRON EMISSIONS 230 TIMES NORMAL!!
A nuclear expert hired by Greenpeace, Dr. Helmut Schmidt, has measured the Castors from a distance of 12 meters from the Dannenberg loading platform. His reading was 3.45 Microsieverts (Ms) per hour. Shortly before the Castors arrived, his reading was only 0.015 Ms. Thus the Castors had an emission 230 times normal. Microsievert is a measurement of biological damage caused by nuclear emissions. Greenpeace has therefore demanded that the official measurements (at closer ranges) be released, in order that police accompanying personnel, demonstrators, and the public living near a passing Castor can know exactly how much damage they are getting.

Monday, November 21, 2005 16:54
A eucomenical religious service presided over by Pastor Egon Mayerhofer starts in 10 minutes at the Gorleben entrance. At the moment there are about 60 worshipers in attendance. -

Monday, November 21, 2005 11:01
The train has passed Leitstade station.

Monday, November 21, 2005 11:01
At a protest action in Pommoissel 23 persons who tried to tie themselves to the tracks have been taken prisoner. One demonstrator was so badly wounded that he had to be brought to the hospital.

Monday, November 21, 2005 10:14
Area of Netzendorf: Now there are 170 protestors on the tracks. There are still more people arriving. At km 187 there are 50 more on the tracks

Monday, November 21, 2005 10:03
Harlingen: There are about 20 people at track crossing km 187.3. At 187.2 the police attack, using pepper-spray. Pussade:Another small group are on the tracks at km 189.4

Monday, November 21, 2005 08:52 About 08:44
the train left Lüneburg in the direction of Dahlenburg

Monday, November 21, 2005 08:50
On the tracks near Dumsdorf there are
as many as 10 protestors. A further 15 are nearby. There is a massive
police contingent including mounted police and dogs. The police, using
pepper spray,sprayed also press reporters.

MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE ATTACK ON THE SCHOOLKIDS:

-- The demonstration was previously announced and authorized by the authorities. About 500 children marched through the city streets but were continually mocked and threatened bv accompanying police in battle dress. They finally ended up at the police barracks at the end of town They rolled with them an empty oil drum overpainted with the words "atomic garbage container". --When they reached the gates of the barracks, they rolled the drum through the barracks gate. This so enraged the barracks guards that they picked up the drum and sent it dangerously flying through the air back into the crowd. The drum hit and wounded only one of the police. --By 14:00, a group of 40 kids were encircled. Police then viciously attacked the trapped children, using fists and clubs. --The child who suffered severe head injuries was 12 years old. The boy who was beaten in the face was 13, while the kid with hand fractures was only 14. Psychic injuries to other impressionable chldren must remain uncounted.

--The police contingent came from Magdeburg, capitol of the neighboring state of Sachsen-Anhalt (east Germany, former DDR). Whatever resentments they may hold, the Magdeburg group has long had the reputation of being the most brutal of all police organizations. One wonders how they came to be assigned to guard children, and why.

Monday, November 21, 2005 06:11
Train passes Ahlen in direction of Lehrte. Thus earliest date for arrivel in Lüneburg is 7:00.

Monday, November 21, 2005 05:49
Train leaves Hannover-Selze in direction of Lehrte, Celle and Uelzen

Monday, November 21, 2005 04:18
Train is now over 2 hours late

Monday, November 21, 2005 03:35
Train had to stop when it reached
Göttingen, Lower Saxony (first stop in Wendland) because 20 protestors
were sitting on the tracks. After they were removed by police another
10 protestors managed to sit down 100 meters further on. After the
second removal the train was only able to proceed at 02:13. At the
same time there was a spontaneous demonstration of 20 protestors on
the highway to Weende. These were encircled by police and brought into
custody in a prison bus.

Monday, November 21, 2005 03:12:28
At Klein Gusborn the farmers
peacefully abandoned their 120-tractor blockade. About 03:00 the last
10 tractors were moved to a site chosen by police.

Monday, November 21, 2005 02:18 25
protestors have been holding a
warning vigil in Witzenhausen since mid-afternoon.

Monday, November 21, 2005 02:17
At the Bebra train station, about
seven protestors held a warning vigil in front of the office of the
assembly authorities and stayed until the train passed.

Monday, November 21, 2005 02:14
Uelzen: An action called „Occupy
Bridges“ was greeted by encircling police at the train station: an
order to abandon any area 50 meters on either side of the transport
route was promulgated.. When the group afterwards showed up at various
bridges and stations, they were encircled and individually examined:
bodies and cars were searched, confiscated materials were filmed,
etc. The whole process took over 1,5 hours, but they were then
released.

TRAIN INFO

The transport train, consisting of 2 diesel locomotives + 2 personnel cars + 12 castors + 1 personnel car + 1 diesel locomotive, left Valogne about 17:26 Saturday.

Just before Nancy there was a fight between some 60 demonstrators and the police. The train left Nancy at 08:09, 25 minutes late.

Sunday, November 20, 2005 15:30

Following the Castor train is a backup train consisting of 5 additional diesel locomotives.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

About 15:00, the train passed Berghausen (near Grotzingen, East of Karlsruhe). The further route seems to be Pforzheim - Mühlacker - Bietigheim - Bissingen - Heilbronn Sunday,

November 20, 2005 13:51

In Wörth about 20 prisoner trucks plus several other police vehicles are stationed.There are about 15 demonstrators
on hand,

Sunday, November 20, 2005 12:35

After the train passed Avricourt at 10:30, a group of about 29 activists set up a memorial with candles and flowers next to the tracks to comemorate the tragic death of Sebastian Briad, who was run over last year by a speeding Castor train. No police presence but the French secret service is observing.

Sunday, November 20, 2005 13:44

The Castor train reached the border town of Lauterbourg.

WENDLAND ACTIONS

Sunday, November 20, 2005 17:09

Because of a tractor blockade in Gusborn, only the roads from Quickborn or Zadrau are free.

Sunday, November 20, 2005 17:05

In Gusborn 116 tractors are standing in all directions on the street

Sunday, November 20, 2005 16:04:

The demo in Gusborn is finished. The tractors have left in the direction of Gorleben.

Sunday, November 20, 2005 15:34

At the demo in Gusborn there are about 300 tractors and about 1500 people. The crowd is in good spirits.The French percussion group "Doukkah" is playing.

Sunday,November 20, 2005 14:23

At Wendisch Evern, beneath the bridge where train must pass the bridge over the Elbe bypass canal, a police water regulation boat has been stationed, as well as a pontoon boat from Minden and two police inflatable boats

Sunday, November 20, 2005 12:01

In Quickborn, several Robin Wood activists are hanging in a tree. The police watch what´s going
on.Between Quickborn and Langendorf a mounted demo (about 25 horses takes place. The police did not interfere with spectators or bike riders but were photographing everyone.

Police injure school kids in Gorleben protest

Friday, November 18, 2005 at 16:08:25 (GMT+1)

The police were needlessly violent against a demo of school children
in Luechow. Four children were so badly injured that they had to be
hospitalized. Pictures available.

1. All times are GMT +1.

2. The ticker usually starts with the French train schedule. We have this list because the French always inform their citizens when dangerous freight is about to pass. However, in Germany, train routes and schedules are practically a State Secret.

3. The police -- many more than are strictly needed just to guard the Castor -- always crowd into Wendland at this time for their annual training in the latest methods of crowd control (in preparation, we suspect, for an eventual police state).

They are divided into two main groups:
(a) the Border Guards, a semi-military permanent force reporting directly to the Minister of the Interior. Originally set up just to guard German borders, their role was extended to include all train installations.
(b) The local police forces from all over the country. The performance of these groups varies greatly from region to region.

Departure (loading) at Valognes 17:30 (GMT+1) Saturday, 19 November

Arrival at Lauterbourg (French border) scheduled for 19:09 (GMT+1) on
Sunday, 20 November German border crossing at Worth-am-Rhine