Protesting nuclear waste transports on Germany's Neckar River
Protesters have come up with a number of creative ways to show opposition to the transportation of nuclear waste. Authorities said, however, that such actions are much less combative than they have been in the past.
Chain reaction
Protesters used heavy bicycle locks to chain themselves to a bridge above a sluice in Gündelsheim near Heilbronn. Police found their bolt cutters were not large enough to cut the locks, but they said the locked protesters would not hinder the transport. One officer quipped, "As far as I am concerned they can stay here until tomorrow."
Controversial payload
German energy company EnBW is once again transporting nuclear waste along the Neckar River on a specially outfitted barge. The company intends to store a total of 342 spent fuel rods from its shuttered Obrigheim nuclear power plant at an interim storage facility at its Neckarwestheim plant. It took the ship 12 hours to make the 50-kilometer (31-mile) trip.
Locked in
The specially outfitted transport barge waited in the sluice below the bridge where protesters chained themselves before continuing its journey. This is the third of five planned waste deliveries. Although controversial, EnBW said that it is preferable to move its nuclear waste to an existing facility rather than to build a new one at a phased-out facility.
Sea monster?
Activists from the environmental organization Robin Wood donned wetsuits and took to the water in an attempt to block the transport barge's path. Police labeled the move "unspectacular and peaceful."
Is he a keeper?
Police quickly landed the protesters, who officials said will face a fine. Herbert Würth from Neckar Castorfrei, an anti-nuclear alliance, said, "Ultimately, we don't want to endanger the transport."
Police escort
The ship was heavily guarded and accompanied by authorities in the air, land and in the water. Critics claimed such transports are dangerous but authorities countered that they are necessary if Germany is to safely store its nuclear waste. Observers said protests have waned over the years that followed Chancellor Angela Merkel's 2011 decision to phase out nuclear energy in Germany by 2022.
Holding the flag high
In the past, hundreds of thousands of Germans took to the streets to protest nuclear energy, and clashes with police were at times violent. Protests have gotten smaller and less contentious since 2011, still, the majority of Germans remain steadfastly opposed to nuclear energy. Here, a solitary protester holds an iconic "nuclear energy? No thanks" flag, made popular in the 1970s and 80s.