SAINT-PAUL-TROIS-CHATEAUX, France: Police on Monday arrested 29 Greenpeace activists who snuck into a nuclear plant in southern France, in the latest break-in by the environmental group aimed at highlighting alleged security weaknesses at atomic facilities.
The activists managed to enter the grounds of the Tricastin plant, around 200 km north of Marseille, around dawn, Greenpeace and police said.
They hung yellow banners reading "Tricastin: A nuclear accident" and "Francois Hollande: President of a catastrophe?" in reference to the French president, according to Isabelle Philippe, a spokeswoman for the environmental group.
Before entering the facility, the activists also projected images inside the plant, including one showing a crack running along part of the structure.
"Greenpeace wants to point out all the security weaknesses in the production of nuclear energy," she said. "Tricastin is one of the most dangerous plants and one of five that should be closed quickly."
"It was the easiest thing in the world for the activists to enter the plant, it took them 20 minutes to get from the entrance to the top of the structures," she said.
The interior ministry said all the activists had been detained in a full sweep of the facility. It had taken several hours to arrest them all, after some had chained themselves to structures inside the plant.
Among those arrested were French, Italian, Romanian and Spanish nationals.
The government said in a statement that it was considering "stiffer penalties" for such actions.
The activists "were not able to access the plant's sensitive areas," like command rooms, interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said. "It's a media stunt that poses no security danger," he said.
He insisted that the environmentalists, who divided into three groups upon entering the plant, "were immediately detected."
The EDF energy giant that runs France's atomic power plants also said that the activists did not manage to reach any sensitive areas within the site.
France's interior and energy ministers called for an investigation. The head of the Green party faction in France's Senate, Jean-Vincent Place, hailed Greenpeace's "civil action" for "alerting the French" to the potential dangers of nuclear power.
"Getting into these extremely dangerous plants is like passing through a sieve," he said, adding: "The terrorist risk (to French nuclear plants) has never been tested."
But others criticized the move.
"This kind of action leads to nothing and is counterproductive," lawmaker Henri Guaino of the right-wing UMP told BFMTV. "I think nuclear plants should be left outside of protest actions, even if they are part of the debate."
Greenpeace has staged several break-ins at French nuclear plants in recent years in an effort to highlight what they say are dangers of atomic power and to expose security problems at the power stations.
In May 2012, an activist with the group flew into the grounds of the Bugey plant in southeastern France using a hang glider, in a stunt aimed at revealing alleged security flaws. He flew over the plant, threw a smoke bomb and landed inside before being arrested.
In December 2011, nine activists snuck into the Nogent-sur-Seine plant 95 km southeast of Paris. Most were quickly arrested, but two managed to evade capture for nearly two hours.
France is heavily reliant on nuclear power, with its 58 nuclear reactors producing some 75 percent of the nation's electricity.
The Tricastin plant went online in 1980 and last year produced 24 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, which is the equivalent of consumption of around 3.5 million people, according to EDF.
Greenpeace activists break into French nuclear plant
Greenpeace activists break into French nuclear plant
Islamophobic attacks on public transport growing in UK
- Muslim travelers restricting journeys over fear of abuse and assault, community groups warn
- Authorities must ‘take urgent and meaningful action,’ says British Muslim Trust CEO
LONDON: Islamophobic attacks are on the rise on public transport across Britain, according to new information revealed by The Guardian, as community organizations warn that Muslims are restricting their journeys over fear of abuse and assault.
A freedom of information request showed that racial hate crimes recorded by British Transport Police across England, Wales and Scotland grew from 2,827 cases in 2019-2020 to 3,258 in 2024-25.
The environment of public transport “creates a particular dynamic where aggressors are often emboldened by alcohol, can isolate their targets and then exit at the next stop,” The Guardian reported.
Hate crimes of a religious nature climbed from 343 cases in 2019-20 to 419 in 2023-24.
Akeela Ahmed, CEO of the British Muslim Trust, said the data reflects the stories her organization has collected from Muslims across the country.
She urged local authorities, transport operators and community safety groups to “take urgent and meaningful action” to address the issue.
“For visible Muslims in particular, the top deck of a bus or a half-empty train carriage can mean threatening behaviour, verbal abuse or even violent attack simply because of their faith,” Ahmed said, adding that Islamophobic attacks on public transport reported to the BMT are “some of the most complex and distressing cases we have handled to date.
“Many Muslims now feel compelled to micro-analyse every movement, expression or gesture out of fear that it may be misinterpreted, recorded and weaponised against them.”
A significant number of physical and verbal attacks against Muslims target children traveling to and from school, Ahmed said, describing this trend as the “most alarming” of all.
“The lack of CCTV coverage on buses and at many stops means perpetrators routinely evade accountability,” she added.
Carol Young, deputy director of the Coalition for Racial Equality, said the recorded figures cited by The Guardian “are probably the tip of the iceberg,” adding: “Anecdotally, we know that using public transport may not feel safe for everyone and some people may avoid using it or restrict their use to certain times of day.”
In response to a request by The Guardian for comment, a spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Abuse, intimidation and violence — especially that which is motivated by hate — will never be tolerated, and we have acted swiftly and decisively when we receive reports of hate crimes on the rail network.
“If you are a victim of hate crime, or if you witness an incident that makes you feel uncomfortable, please do not suffer in silence.”
