Temelin

In the Czech Republic, protest against the start-up of the Soviet-era Temelin nuclear power plant continued through the summer. On July 13, 33 people including Austrians and Germans were arrested while protesting the delivery of nuclear fuel to the plant, located about 30 miles from either border. In September, with reactor start-up imminent, a series of blockades of the border crossings into nuclear-free Austria escalated until all 12 crossing points were simultaneously blocked on September 16. Similar protests took place on the German-Czech border as well, and were repeated along the Austrian border. The fourth day of blockades on September 22 lasted all day, and stopped most cross-border traffic. Austrian politicians are calling for more system tests and safety evaluations Reactor start-up was postponed by last-minute leaks and valve replacements, and some border blockaders moved on to join the Prague protests against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which were more brutally suppressed than recent corporate globalization protests in North America.

On October 2, Greenpeace Austria blockaded the Czech embassy in Vienna with mock nuclear waste barrels, as the start-up was again put off for several more days. On Friday, October 7, border crossings were again blocked, with trucks and tractors initiating a planned day-long action.