Greenpeace stages protest at nuclear summit in Istanbul, nine detained

ISTANBUL

DHA Photo

Nine activists have been detained in a protest staged by Greenpeace Mediterranean against the Nuclear Plants Summit in Istanbul on May 30.

The activists had hung a 28 square-meter poster carrying the words “Nuclear disaster starts here” on the outside wall of the hotel in Şişli where the summit was held, and greeted attendees with the same poster at the building’s entrance.

Greenpeace also hacked the hotel’s wireless Internet connection, so that when guests at the conference tried to connect to the Internet, they saw a message posted by the activist group.

Volunteers who attempted to distribute cookies carrying messages against nuclear energy were prevented by security officials.

During the summit, Vladimir Chuprov, who is in charge of Greenpeace’s anti-nuclear campaign in Russia, was set to make a presentation about mistakes previously made by Russian company Rosatom that is set to build a plant in Turkey.

The manager of Greenpeace Mediterranean campaigns in Turkey, Hilal Atıcı, said the conference aimed to catch the attention of companies involved in the building of the nuclear plant, adding that 64 percent of the Turkish people were against the project.

“Energy Minister Taner Yıldız is making the same mistakes that caused the Soma disaster for nuclear plants today. Rosatom, the company that is planning to build the plant, could cut security measures to increase its profit because it will be able to earn only the cost of its investment from the sale of electricity. This is worrying. The nuclear industry is not safe anywhere in the world. But the situation is scarier in Turkey. We have no experience about safety or inspection,” Atıcı said.

“In addition, if an accident happens, Russia will not be responsible. We as the Turkish nation will have to pay for the financial and humanitarian costs of a nuclear accident,” she added.