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Gorleben International Peace Team
Kirchstr. 14
D-29462 Wustrow
Germany
phone +49-5843-7716
fax +49-5843-1405
e-mail: 106573.2254@compuserve.com

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Gorleben International Peace Team
Update No. 3


Sufficient Reason for Human Rights Monitoring Determined:

According to the 6 international human rights activists who comprise the Gorleben International Peace Team (GIPT), there is sufficient reason to monitor human rights and democracy here in Germany, though typically, developing nations have been the site of human rights monitoring. After an evaluation and analysis of observations during events surrounding the CASTOR transport, GIPT has come to two fundamental conclusions. First, the monitoring of human rights in the L�chow-Dannenberg area of Germany especially in the time period during the CASTOR transport is warranted. Second, teams to observe, record, and report times of escalation and deescalation during events are important.

These conclusions were drawn from our own observations at several points along the road stretch from the loading crane at Dannenberg to the temporary nuclear waste storage facility in Gorleben and from talks with other observation/mediation teams in the area. From the period 1-5 March GIPT was present in L�neburg, Hitzacker, Gorleben, at the loading crane, in Splietau, Quickborn, Langendorf, Gusborn, at the temporary nuclear waste storage facility and in Gedelitz.

In its observations GIPT has made a conscious effort to note what and who contributed to points of escalation and deescalation during the course of events.

An illustrative example of the fluctuation that any demonstration event might have is from the crane area in Dannenberg, where the situation is not simply characterised as peaceful or not. In the following update, GIPT has developed its perspective from the observation of the entire event. Around 1am Wednesday 5th March, police in teams of two and four began clearing 6,000-9,000 organised, non-violent demonstrators who had been sitting since 11am Monday 3rd March on the stretch of road in front of the crane to the northern crossing on the road leading east to Quickborn. The clearing began near the crane and did not escalate from neither demonstrators nor police until the police order to use water cannons at low pressure was given around 4am. The temperature at the time was felt at below 0# C. The demonstrators, under the heedings from a van equipped with loudspeakers, responded to the water pressure with plastic tarps to shield themselves and did not escalate the situation. Many demonstrators, observers and international press correspondents GIPT spoke with were appalled at the unprovoked force of the cold water, while others said they had been expecting the water and were happy in their belief  that so much press coverage would show that �strong force, (even unprovoked), is to be reckoned with from the side of the police.� Around 9:30 am the first water cannon wagon reached the crossing (about 230 meters from crane) and at 9:10 the situation escalated dramatically from the side of police as another set of troops began clearing from the other side of the sit-in demonstration. The troops, reportedly from Berlin, made more than three announcements as the law requires, but they also announced that they would immediately use water cannons and batons to clear the demonstrators. In contrast to the cleared 230 meters that took about 8� hours, the clearing that began at 9:10 lasted 50 min. (until both police troops met) and covered about 150 meters. An important exception to note is that four young activists, experienced in their method, were not all fully removed from their position between two trees along the side of the road until after the CASTOR container was on the road at 12 noon.

In our analysis there are four important stages to this demonstration. First from 1am to 9:10am , when police, caught in a dilemma between political demands and peaceful protesters to these politics, used water cannons, this method was measured (low pressure), but still unprovoked, in freezing temperatures, and with no increase in the speed with which police cleared (only wetter demonstrators to clear).. Second, from 9:10am until 10am, there was reckless escalation in use of force by police that was entirely unprovoked from demonstrators in the street or organisers of the event, who repeatedly called for police leadership to talk with them, but with no apparent success. It is believed that time pressures contributed to the irresponsible escalation of force and resulting decrease in time to clear the demonstrators.* What is clear from these observed points of escalation is that demonstrators, who were all part of the same campaign, received very different treatment from police command (both sets of troops were under the same police commander).
Third, these first two stages were  preparatory clearings for the transport. The actual transport of the CASTOR was observed to begin at 11:20am. The third stage of escalation occurred as two of four experienced demonstrators hung between two trees on two parallel ropes and hung with rapelling gear in front of the CASTOR transport trailer. In our analysis, the demonstrators actions were seen by police as inhibitive and provocative, thus escalating their perceived need to use force to remove them form the trees. The final escalation/deescalation was in the method used to clear the last demonstrator. One policeman climbed onto the bottom rope to chase the final demonstrator against one of the trees. This action was clearly intimidating and escalated the situation until, with help from the loudspeaker wagon, the other three demonstrators called to their colleague to come down freely.

* according to an unconfirmed discussion with a policeman on 4 March, the 6 CASTOR containers should
   have been on the road by 8am

Project Development:

The first ever Gorleben International Peace Team assembled in Wustrow Germany on the 20th of February to undergo an intensive five-day training.  During the training, the team created a working mandate that defined GIPT as a non-partisan observation team which will focus on observing, documenting, and photographing the human rights situation before and during the anti-CASTOR demonstrations in the area of Gorleben, Germany, which will take place in the first week of March. GIPT will not be serving as mediators between the police and demonstrators, and will not be attempting to actively de-escalate the situation, although it is hoped that a known international presence will help reduce tension.  The main goals of the team will be to write a report of their observations which will be shared with organizations working at the local, national, and international levels; and to produce an evaluation of the experiences of this team in order to determine if GIPT is a project that should be continued in the future.  Upon the completion of its training, the team worked to organize its office, make its presence known to the local press, police forces, and activist groups; and began to do some field work.

The GIPT Team consists of:

Maria de Lourdes Camacho Zambrano (Ecuador),
Marijana Stevanoska (Macedonia),
William Beittel (USA),
Eduardo Calvache (Ecuador),
Sunny Ohuimumwen (Nigeria).
MC Roth (USA)
Scott Shively, a volunteer from the USA currently working with KURVE Wustrow, a local center for nonviolent action, is serving as project coordinator.

International Support

Several human rights, peace and ecological organisations inside and outside Europe have openly announced their support for the team by agreeing to be a part of the Team's International Support Network (ISN). More participation in the ISN is needed in case of emergencies and for reflection on and evaluation of the final report.

Project Background

Approximately twenty years ago, the state government of Lower Saxony reached the decision to establish a nuclear waste storage and processing facility in a region known as the Wendland, near the village of Gorleben.  This site was considered ideal because at the time the Wendland was situated in a nose-shaped section of West Germany, surrounded to the north, south, and east by East Germany; in the case of an accident any contamination in the air would be carried by winds across the border. And a large salt mine is located near Gorleben which could be used as a final storage point for highly contaminated waste.

Resistance from the local population developed only slowly.  The local government was very conservative at the time and welcomed the money that the nuclear facility would bring to the region. But the movement gained considerable momentum in 1978 after a group of farmers who feared that contamination from the industry would affect their crops and make them unsellable, organized a large action: the "March on Hannover".  The government was forced to abandon the idea of building a processing plant at the site, but still insisted on the construction of storage facilities for radioactive waste.  In May, 1980 demonstrators occupied the forest surrounding the site and constructed a hut village, and declared their independence from the German government as the "Free Republic of Wendland".  A large police force brutally supressed the demonstration and demolished the village, and construction of a temporary storage facility continued.

The facility was completed in 1983, and in 1984 a police force escorted the first "CASTOR" waste container (which was empty) to be stored there.  This remained the only CASTOR until the mid-1990s.  In 1992-93 a series of medium-level radioactive waste shipments were brought to Gorleben, despite a large well-organized grassroots resistance that included a telephone alarm chain.

Finally, in 1995, amidst heavy resistance both in the streets and in the courts, the government shipped the first CASTOR containing high-level radioactive waste to the facility in Gorleben.  15,000 police were required to protect the CASTOR -- the largest police movement in Germany since the war.  The resistance was both politically and economically expensive, but despite this the government decided to send a second shipment to Gorleben in May 1996.  Resistance to this shipment was even greater, requiring the protection of 19,000 police who at the time stated that they were "preparing for war".  And this year, 1997, a shipment containing six CASTORs has been planned for early March.  Resistance is expected to be even greater than before.  Tension is building in the Wendland as both the resistance movement and the police prepare themselves for the first week of March -- the need for a neutral, international observers team here can definitely be seen.

LETTERS OF PROTEST:

Anyone interested in protesting against the continued use of the storage facility in Gorleben and the continued use of atomic energy in Germany despite the active resistance of thousands of citizens should send letters of protest to any or all of the following addresses:


Government of Lower Saxony:

Minister President Gerhard Schr�der
Staatskanzlei
Planckstr. 2
30169 Hannover
FAX +49 511 1 20 2169

Home Minister Gerhard Glogowski
Lavesallee 6
30169 Hannover
FAX +49 511 1 20 6150

Social Minister Walter Hiller
Hinrich-Wilhelm-Kopf-Pl. 2
30159 Hannover
FAX +49 511 1 20 2121

Environmental Minister Monika Griefahn
Archivstr. 2
30169 Hannover
FAX +49 511 1 20 8847

German Federal Government:

Prime Minister Helmut Kohl
Ardenauerallee 141
53113 Bonn
FAX +49 228 562 357

Minister of Environmental Protection and Reactor Safety Angela Merkel
Kennedyallee 5
53175 Bonn
FAX +49 228 305 3225

International:

World Association of Nuclear Operators -- Paris Center
39 Av. de Frieland
F-75008 Paris, FRANCE
FAX +33 1 4561 9277

FINANCIAL SUPPORT NEEDED!

The projected cost of the Gorleben Peace Team in its pilot phase is estimated to be approximately DM 30 000 (around $ 20 000). So far only DM 6100 are covered by donations, so this is an appeal for financial support. Please send us donations in the form of bank cheques or transfer donations directly into our Giro account (Account No. 6001333 at KSK Wustrow (BLZ 25851335), holder: KURVE Wustrow).

MC Roth and Scott Shively
9 March 1997