EARTH FIRST! #1
RAINBOW KEEPERS
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
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
That was first Chernobyl day action of
ACTION IN MOSCOW
At 2 p.m. 23 April in Moscow (Russia) took place a
protest action by radical environmental movement
Between the trees in front of the entrance to the
Ministry there was hanging a slogan
On the stage appears an
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
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
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.
Global Street Party 98nine young people face up to three years in prison if convicted |
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PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) - Nine young people have been charged with hooliganism after an environmental protest in Prague ended in looting and clashes with police, officials said today. Police with batons broke up a crowd of 2,000 stone-throwing youths Saturday (16 of May) after a peaceful protest on the impact that multinational corporations have on the environment turned violent.
The crowd moved
through Prague in what organizers called
Interior Minister Cyril Svoboda told Czech television Sunday that the demonstration was authorized by officials who only expected about 250 people to attend.
Twenty-two police officers were injured in the melee.
The mob overturned a police car, looted several shops and damaged two fast-food restaurants. Police initially detained 64 people, but released most of them Sunday.
A judge ruled today the nine young people, who were charged with hooliganism and attacking public officials, would remain in custody during the investigation, police spokeswoman Eva Brozova said. They face up to three years in prison if convicted.
The Czech Movement
for Civic Solidarity and Tolerance, HOST, said police
broke the law by violently breaking up the demonstration
and denying detains the use of toilets and water, the CTK
news agency reported. Some other environmental groups
condemned the violent protest.
The Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation, Earth First, and the Rainbow Keepers were among those organizing the demonstration.
Former KGB Against Activists in Ukraine
Part 1: 8th of may
Three times during 5-6 May, Maxim Butkevych, a student in the 5th year at the faculty of Philosophy at the Kiev State University, was illegally interrogated by the Ukrainian Security Service (USS, the former Ukrainian KGB).
The first interrogation lasted two hours and Maxim was called under the pretext of a meeting with the dean of the faculty. Once under interrogation, an officer of the USS, Pavel Dmitrievich Morozov, told him that he knew about the intentions of the ecological movement "Rainbow Keepers" and the anarchist initiative "Tigra Nigra", in which Maxim was active, to organize an action against the completion of the two nuclear reactors of the Russian VVER-1000 design, Rivne 4 and Khmelnitsky 2 (K2R4) and against EBRD plans to finance this completion. According to the officer, the activists' real aim is to damage the international image of Ukraine. He added that the main objective of the USS during the EBRD annual meeting was to prevent any public demonstration against the Bank's policies. Therefore, in case of any attempts to organize a demonstration, the security service would "localize" activists for the duration of the summit. In other words: arrest them preventively.
During the interrogation, the officer threatened Maxim with physical violence against participants in any actions against EBRD, discrediting him through rumors about him co-operating with the USS, getting him expelled from the university, and asked him how he would react if told that somebody he cared for had been killed, raped or robbed. On the second meeting, the USS officer changed his approach and even proposed Maxim a job: To use his contacts in the West to fulfill a mission in the service of the USS.
The interest of the security services in the "Rainbow Keepers" and the "Tigra Nigra" is not new. Last summer for instance, N. Shevchenko of the "Keepers", coming back from studying in the Czech Republic for half a year, found two officers of the USS waiting for her at her parents' flat... Seeing that they were not getting the information they desired, the officers recommended not to tell anyone about their visit.
Last year also, some of the activists of "Tigra Nigra" were interrogated by USS officers after being illegally arrested during the demonstration on 18 March 1997 against government social policy. Only activists of "Tigra Nigra" were stopped by men in civilian clothes, beaten and, without any justification, brought to the militia police office. Maxim Butkevych was sentenced to several days of arrest. During this arrest, more than ten articles of the civil code were broken by the authorities.
Another time, an "informal meeting" was suggested after an open letter from the "Keepers" and other NGOs to the acting President of EBRD, Charles Frank, had made a scandal during his visit to Kiev on 18 February 1998. The letter informed about intentions of Ukrainian structures to divert the funds provided by EBRD for the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP). In his interview in the Ukrainian newspaper "Vseukrainskie Vedomosti" (3 March 1998, article titled "Scam of the century on Chernobyl strategy"), the EBRD representative in Ukraine, Yaroslav Kinakh, stated that upon receiving the open letter, EBRD staff found evidence that funds had been diverted. Consequently, EBRD funding for the Chernobyl NPP was stopped.
Soon after, all the equipment of the "Keepers" (computer, camera, tape recorder, answering machine with cassettes) disappeared from a flat, while everything else remained untouched. After the "Keepers" and "Tigra Nigra" organized a demonstration on the anniversary of Chernobyl on 23 April, another flat was searched without justification. In such circumstances, the activists of the "Rainbow Keepers" and "Tigra Nigra" were left with no other choice but to make these stories known.
It seems that if the EBRD does not cancel its plans to finance the energy development projects which are destructive for Ukraine, the activities of the Ukraine Security Service will continue, and the international image of Ukraine will really suffer.
Part 2: 9th of May.
From that time 'till today there were the next events:
About 8 of May at
12.30 p.m. at an apartment of N.Shevchenko the policeman
of Moscow region department of Kiev carried out check of
the documents and the attempt is undertaken to detain
S.Fomichov (
Some activists of the
initiative
At night from 8 to 9
of May about 1 a.m. at the street by policemen was
detained and taken to Pechersk regional department of the
police
It is necessary to
note, that details of last event, the same as also number
of other events (for example, the items of information,
about which the officer USS in conversations with
M.Butkevych on May 5-6 spoke), can be cleared only so,
that the telephones of activists of
At 9 of May at
attempt to lead the action of the protest near
One of arrested activists has called from regional branch of police at 15.15 and has informed, that the court above the participants of action has to begin about 16.45. However it was not begun and at 17.30. Arrested activists have required the lawyer. The room of court was blocked by police and was inaccessible for extraneous. Detained are accused of disobedience of police, that completely does not correspond to the validity. A bit later for people, who were near the building of court, the policemen have told, that the court was finished, but the decision is not born yet. Only approximately about 8.30 police was told, that a verdict to all participants of the action, which were detained, - from 3 about 5 day of administrative arrest. Thus was refused in the information, which term of arrest has received each of detained. Also was told, that arrested were taken out from the building of the court in prison for administratively arrested long time ago.
The purpose of a similar verdict - to isolate of the participants of the action until ending of EBRD meeting is obvious, that.
At present, 21.00, it is the last news.
We were convinced, that the calmness of the participants of meeting EBRD is reliably protected by Ukrainian special services and police. But by which methods and which price?
Part of activists and
their native declare, that there are serious bases to be
afraid for life and health of the participants of the
initiative
Editors:
11 of May more two
activists was arrested when they write slogan for action
against EBRD (which planing on 12 of May). The court's
verdict was - 5 days of administrative arrest for each
Repression to be continued