Nationwide actions planned for the nuclear phase-out

Nationwide actions planned for nuclear phase-out throughout Germany

13/03/2011

In the context of the dramatic events in Japan, numerous initiatives in Germany are calling for vigils in all the major cities of the republic next Monday in order to demonstrate their immediate withdrawal from nuclear energy.

After the devastating earthquake in Japan, the Japanese authorities no longer rule out that a meltdown has taken place in the two nuclear reactors of the Fukushima I and III nuclear reactors. The Cabinet chief Yukio Edano said this Sunday that it could also come in the damaged Block III to a similar hydrogen explosion, as before on Saturday in Block I. The authorities estimate that so far at least 160 people were radioactively contaminated. Within a radius of 20 kilometers, all residents had to leave their homes and go to emergency shelters. For another neighboring nuclear power plant also a protection zone of 10 kilometers was set up. Here, too, people are being evacuated.

The Japanese government is now talking about an unprecedented nuclear emergency and the biggest crisis since World War II. An atomic expert of the environmental organization Greenpeace emphasized that compared to Chernobyl, the dramatic thing about Fukushima is that there are several incidents of meltdown. In addition, the Japanese capital is only about 250 kilometers away from the atomic accident site. In the vicinity of Fukushima, the population density is 20 times higher than in 1986 in the Chernobyl region. A total of 200,000 people are currently being evacuated. According to the radiation biologist Edmund Lengfelder from the Otto Hug Radiation Institute in Munich, the consequences of the nuclear accident in Japan could be even worse than 25 years ago in Chernobyl. Although the processes are quite different, but Japan is much more densely populated, so that the health consequences for people could be much more dramatic. "I assume it will be worse than in Chernobyl," says the expert.

Under the motto „Fukushima is everywhere - nuclear exit now!“ call now various initiatives like „aired“ or „Greenpeace“ to actively hold vigils. The call states: „In deep concern over the events in Japan and with the firm will to fight together for the nuclear power plants in the Federal Republic are finally shut down, we call on Monday, March 14, from 18 clock to 18:30 clock in as many as possible Places on central squares to gather at vigils.“

Already for today, spontaneous meetings and demonstrations are expected in larger cities. To know exactly where squares and locations and rallies take place, the website offers „aired“ a comprehensive overview. All places are recorded on a map of Germany. (Sb)

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Radioactive Radiation: Health Effects