Culture jamming the Eiffel Tower
French state nuclear company Areva sponsored a nice ring of EU stars for the Eiffel Tower - probably to kiss up to President Sarkozy (who also serves as a kind of "nuclear power salesman in chief"). Some Greenpeace France activists decided it would be nice to complete the picture with a nuclear hazard symbol.
From the International Herald Tribune:
About 15 environmental activists climbed the Eiffel Tower on Sunday to unfurl a banner protesting against France's nuclear energy policies, on the day when it hosts a major summit of heads of state.Campaign group Greenpeace said the banner showing the nuclear logo was placed in the middle of a circle of stars representing the European Union displayed on the tower to mark France's six-month term as EU president.
"Since he was elected, President Nicolas Sarkozy has done everything he could to sell nuclear energy," said Frederic Marillier of the French section of Greenpeace in a statement.
"At the U.N., as head of the European council, or just recently at the G8, he has behaved like a travelling salesman for Areva and has used political platforms to promote French nuclear power," Marillier said, referring to the French nuclear energy producer Areva.
More on the Greenpeace website, and a Guardian article about last weeks nuclear spill (in case you missed it).
[ photo copyright Greenpeace/Xavier Pardessus ]
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Comments
I have been a supporter and financial contributor to Greenpeace for many years. Yesterday, while waiting with by step son to visit the Eiffel Tower, an opportunity we may never have again, our visit was disrupted by your protest. The French police cleared the area and our que was pushed outside. It was our last chance to go up -- we had to leave. I can put aside my personal inconvenience but it's clear to me Greenpeace did nothing in this protest to advance the cause of safer use of nuclear power. It didn't even make TV news. This was a useless and futile action.
Greenpeace is clearly behind the times, and the science, of nuclear power. It's sad to see an important organization lose it's way. In the end this protest was quite useful for me, it's the signal to stop supporting Greenpeace.
Greenpeace Response:
Hi Gregg,
Sorry for the inconvenience our protest created that you could not go up the Eiffel tower. However contrary to your comment that the protest did not even make TV news, this particular protest has travelled around the world, from South Africa to Singapore. It was covered especially in the Middle East where Sarkozy is trying to peddle the nuclear power ignoring both the tension in the region and the need for safe and clean technologies, in the sun belt of the world.
And on your comment regarding Greenpeace being behind science of today; It is clear today as it was when Greenpeace started to campaign against nuclear energy that nuclear was not able to solve to its intrinsic problems even there are some improvements in the reactor designs. Addition to problems such as waste and accidents nuclear energy also presents a new danger of taking away the attention from real solutions to climate change such as energy efficiency and renewable energies.
Aslihan Tumer
Nuclear Campaigner
Greenpeace International
Posted by: Gregg Fraley | July 14, 2008 11:08 AM