Anti-nuclear rallies across France

London (Platts)--19Mar2007

More than 40,000 people protested over the weekend against the French
government's plan to build a new pilot nuclear power reactor, known as
European Pressurized Reactor, EPR, organizers said.
According to France's Sortir du Nucleaire, an anti nuclear coalition, the
protests across the country on Saturday were among the biggest seen in France
since the anti-nuke demonstrations of the 1970's. Police, however, put the
total number of protestors under 20,000, reports said.
The biggest protests took place in Rennes, followed by Lyon, Toulouse,
Strasbourg and Lille.
"It was an extraordinary protest," said Stephane Lhomme, spokesman for
Sortir du nucleaire. "French people don't want a new nuclear reactor. All the
opinion polls show that they don't think new ones should be built but prefer
investment in energy saving and renewable energy," Lhomme said.
Some 59% of French people said they wanted a reduction in nuclear power
in France, according to a poll by Eurobarometer, cited by the group.
The government plans to start building the Eur3.3 billion EPR reactor at
Flamanville in Normandy in December this year.
Campaigners are urging France's presidential candidates to pledge to halt
EPR. According to Lhomme, two of the three leading candidates, Segolene Royal
and Francois Bayrou, have now recognized that there should be a discussion and
democratic debate over EPR.
The two-round French presidential elections are scheduled take place in
April and May.