French police have arrested at least 29 Greenpeace activists who broke into the Tricastin nuclear plant in southern France. The interior ministry confirmed the protesters, organised in several groups, did not reach the most secure areas of the facility.
The activists projected anti-nuclear slogans onto the reactor walls, including 'Tricastin: nuclear accident' and 'President of a disaster?' featuring President Francois Hollande. The plant, located in Pierrelatte about 200km north of Marseille, provides a significant portion of France's electricity, which is largely nuclear-generated.
According to police, the group included French activists as well as individuals from Italy, Romania and Spain. Some protesters chained themselves to parts of the building, complicating the police operation. Greenpeace claimed the activists reached the reactor walls, but the interior ministry maintained they did not access the most sensitive areas.
Jean-Vincent Place, a Green politician and French senator, told Europe 1 radio that the infiltration demonstrated the plant's security was 'like passing through a sieve'. Yannick Rousselet of Greenpeace stated the action called on Hollande to close Tricastin, which Greenpeace considers among the five most dangerous plants in France. He argued that if activists could physically touch the reactors, then security was inadequate.
France's nuclear security authority held an emergency meeting but confirmed the infiltration posed no risk to plant safety. However, interior ministry officials indicated a review of security at all French nuclear plants would follow, as reported by TF1 news website.
