12 years after Chernobyl:

The action For Nuclear Free Europe took place in Kiev

On April, 23 in Kiev the antinuclear action took place , that was organized in the frames of the international campaign PGA (People Global Action) against World Trade Organization (WTO) and devoted to the 12 anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. The action was organized by the youth radical environmental movement Rainbow Keepers, groups Tigra Nigra, Ecozahist, Bankwatch, RKY and International Social-Ecological Union.

At the beginning the representatives of different NGOs made an improvised press-conference for the media in front of the building of Ministry of Environment .

Then, demonstration took started . The demonstrators walked from the Ministry of Environment trough the city center to the President Residence.

In front of the demonstration few activists wearied in the black robe with hoods wolkd and carried the candles reminding about Chernobyl victims. Behind them the demonstrators with 6-meters banner "FOR Nuclear Free Europe" walked. Above the demonstration was a 3-head and 15m long paper dragon, which symbolized the danger of nuclear energy. Two of the dragon's heads slept and symbolized 2 new SLEEPING reactors on Rivne and Khmelnitsky NPPs . The third one that symbolized the 4th exploded Chernobyl block had shine RADIOACTIVE in the eyes.

Arriving to the President Residence the activists handed there their demands :

- to shut Chernobyl NPP down immediately;

- to refuse from new Rivno-4 and Khmelnicky-2 nuclear reactors construction;

- to cancel the project of complete nuclear-fuel circle creation in Ukraine.

Besides that the demonstrators appealed to the Western countries and European Bank of Reconstruction and Development to refuse to finance of Eastern European nuclear energy sector.

The activists from Ukraine, Russia and France, who represented various NGOs: radical environmental movement RAINBOW Keepers, groups TIGRA Nigra, ECOZAHIST, Bankwatch, RKY and International Social-Ecological Union, ZELENY Svit - Pechersk, MAMA-86, National Ecocenter, SAVE the Children, ZELENE Dossier- participated in the demonstration.

That was first Chernobyl day action of RAINBOW Keepers in Kiev, when nobody was arrested or beaten up. Some journalist suggested, that the reason was that the authority want to look better in the face of the internationals before EBRD meeting in Kiev.But at the same day after the demonstration the Ukrainian Security Service (former KGB) phoned one of the organizers to ask about meting with them. Next day in the office where activists had been working for preparation of the demonstration police made an unmotivated search. Few days before the action a flat of another RAINBOW Keepers activist was burgled, and all the office equipment was stolen.

ACTION IN MOSCOW

At 2 p.m. 23 April in Moscow (Russia) took place a protest action by radical environmental movement RAINBOW Keepers near the Ministry of Atomic Energetic called PERIOD of Half-Disintegration. General demand of participants was TO stop development of nuclear energetic. The action was devoted to the problem of burying of radioactive waste.

Between the trees in front of the entrance to the Ministry there was hanging a slogan PROFIT Us For You Waste ,. people in gray masks were standing on the steps of the entrance with banner Enough of Illusions>. With sounds of tambourine on the square before the building appeared RADIOACTIVE wastes - 3 people in black plastic bags with radiation signs and plates PU-237, CZ-137, Sr-90" on them. Wriggling wildly those hideous creatures born by technocratic society are triumphing. Now they who arose in the entrails of Nuclear Power Plants built by man are going to rule the world.

On the stage appears an NPP worker wearing special radiation-protecting costume. He calls in liquidators: military men and workers try to catch the wastes with CONTAINERS. At last wastes are caught and CONTAINERS are gathered in a heap so that they are not dangerous any more. But the people who touched them are getting radioactive too. One after another die two groups of liquidators who became victims of radiation. The wastes left without any care come to life again and crawl around.

At that moment from the crowd getting out a clown and starting to convince people that it's all right and there is not any danger in radioactivity while kicking back and trying to hide the dansing wastes. He is giving out radioactive eggs and adverts of nuclear energetic telling of how much profit will bring PEACEFUL atom to the people. Meanwhile DEAD liquidators and alive wastes are crawling upstairs to the entrance doors of the Ministry and forming a common dump with a sign RADIOACTIVE Waste over it.

Minatom officials declared the steps property of the Ministry and by all means tried to prevent the performance. After about half an hour arrived militia (Russian police) and arrested 14 participants of the action. 8 of them were squeezed coarsely in a small militia van, pushed and rammed hard. As a protest people started to swing the van from the inside. Courageous militia decided to supress resistance, sprayed in tear-gas generously and shut the windows. Seeking to get some fresh air victims of militia violence broke the windscreen and cut the tent of the van. All the people outside cried to militia demanding to stop the torture. It was not stopped but postponed. After arriving to militia station they helped arrested with tear-gas once more.

At about 8 p.m. all the arrested were released after their having written obligations to return to the station the next morning.

During the action information was being spreaded on various aspects of nuclear energetics (economical expediency of construction of new NPPs, alternative energy, problems with burying radioactive waste, moral and judicial aspects). Some photos of the action are available at Internet since 27.04 98: http://cci.glasnet.ru/org/rk/actions

ACTION IN ROSTOV

In April,26, activists from initiative group ROSTOV citizens against RoNPS and from RAINBOW Keepers movement came with antinuclear demands on the official Chernobyl day measures.

Rainbow Keepers group in Rostov was created after traditional Summer protest camps (which was in 96-97 in front of Rostov Nuke Power Station). When protest camp was closed this local group was organized regular actions against RoNPS and they took support many peoples. After series actions in this Spring General Prosecutor of Russia Federation demand of shut down RoNPS, as a very dangerous and as unlawful. Then, by Rostov Rainbow Keepers .was organized action solidarity with Kostroma antinuclear movement in March.