Protests against the construction of the Grohnde nuclear power plant

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Around 12,000 to 15,000 (some sources name 20,000) demonstrators took part in the protests against the construction of the Grohnde nuclear power plant on March 19, 1977 near Grohnde in Lower Saxony . The protests were mainly initiated by citizens' groups from the anti-nuclear movement . They were accompanied by serious riots by around 2,000 militant demonstrators. They tried to occupy the building site of the Grohnde nuclear power plant to prevent it from being built. With around 800 injured demonstrators and around 240 injured police officers , this was the most violent confrontation in the history of the West German demonstration to date. It went down in the protest history of the anti-nuclear movement as the “Battle for Grohnde” .

Helmet protesters on the way to the construction site of the Grohnde nuclear power plant

prehistory

The E.ON predecessor PreussenElektra and the joint power plant Weser GmbH planned to build a nuclear power plant on the Weser near Grohnde in the early 1970s . In 1973 these companies applied to the Lower Saxony Ministry of Social Affairs to build and operate the Grohnde nuclear power plant. After the construction plans became known, objections were raised by 12,000 citizens, which were presented at two public hearings in 1974. From 1973, the Weserbergland citizens' initiative in the World Association for the Protection of Life , which was founded in 1968 against the construction of the Würgassen nuclear power plant , took on the topic of Grohnde . She wanted to prevent the construction of the nuclear power plant by peaceful means and represented the interests of unsettled citizens who feared damage to their health. In 1975 the two companies involved founded the joint power plant Grohnde GmbH with shares of 50% each . After the Lower Saxony Ministry of Social Affairs issued a partial construction permit for the nuclear power plant in 1976, the construction work carried out by Kraftwerk Union began in the same year . The approximately 150 × 200 meter building site was initially secured with a chain link fence .

First protests

The first protest action by citizens against the construction of the nuclear power plant took place in November 1976 on the Day of Repentance and Prayer . Several pastors from the area held a field service in front of about 300 people at the site fence , which the Hanover regional church office disapproved of.

The first occupation of the building site took place on February 19, 1977. A call for a non-violent demonstration under the motto "Flowers for the police - wire cutters for the fence" was followed by around 800, according to other sources 1500 people from Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse. After the chain-link fence was cut up, around 500 people penetrated the construction site. When the police started the eviction, the people left voluntarily. Then the spokesman announced a spontaneous rally in Grohnde for the future "greater severity" against the building project.

Preparations

Grohnde nuclear power plant , 2010

Structural preparations

At the beginning of 1977, the Grohnde nuclear power plant was just beginning to be built. On the construction site, excavation had been carried out for buildings, construction cranes had been set up and the first foundations had been poured. Immediately after the first occupation by opponents of nuclear energy on February 19, 1977, the operating company of the nuclear power plant, in agreement with the state government of Lower Saxony , provided the building site for 1.8 million  DM with a double metal mesh fence, crowned by NATO wire . The reason for the construction of the massive fence was a feared further occupation. There had already been violent occupation attempts shortly before on February 19, 1977 during protests by the anti-nuclear movement against the construction of the Brokdorf nuclear power plant .

Preparations of the protesters

On February 28, 1977, the Weserbergland citizens' initiative publicly called for a large-scale rally at the construction site of the Grohnde NPP, which was scheduled for March 19, 1977. The call came a few days after the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Ernst Albrecht , named Gorleben on February 22, 1977 as the temporary location for a nuclear waste disposal center. To prepare for the rally, representatives of around 40 citizens' initiatives from northern Germany met in Kirchohsen on March 5, 1977 , including from the cities of Bielefeld , Bremen , Göttingen , Hamburg , Hanover , Kassel and Münster . At the meeting there were differences of opinion between the external groups and the regional citizens' initiative regarding the issue of violence and the venue. While the regional citizens' initiative insisted on nonviolence , the outside groups did not want to be committed to it.

After the preparatory meeting on March 5, 1977 in Kirchohsen, there were increasing indications of the participation of violence-oriented groups in the planned meeting on March 19, 1977, so that the Weserbergland citizens' initiative canceled their originally planned meeting on the construction site of the Grohnde NPP and a rally in Kirchohsen signed up. In the ranks of K groups , such as the KBW , the KB and the KPD / ML , as well as anarchist groups, extensive plans were made for a demonstration aimed at occupying the building site.

Police preparations

Around 4,000 police forces were brought together for the police operation, with the Lower Saxony police being supported by the state police of North Rhine-Westphalia , Schleswig-Holstein and Bremen as well as by the Federal Border Guard . Only a quarter of the police were posted on the construction site, while the majority was outside in reserve.

In the run-up to the demonstration on March 19, 1977, based on the experiences one month earlier in the protests against the Brokdorf nuclear power plant in Grohnde, the police assumed there would be around 10,000 to 12,000 participants. She reckoned with around 5,000 to 6,000 peaceful people and 1,500 to 2,000 violent people. The police assumed that the remaining 4,000 to 5,000 participants would show solidarity with violent people.

The Lower Saxony police had become aware of plans for a violent occupation through confidential information and that equipment should be brought in for it. The police's mission plan was to remain passive for as long as possible and only become active when the construction site's specially secured protective fence was breached. This was a political requirement by Prime Minister Ernst Albrecht and Interior Minister Rötger Groß . The state government feared that immediate police intervention could make violence by demonstrators appear justified. Violent demonstrators should play the role of perpetrator in the public eye.

procedure

On the construction site
Protesters and police officers face each other on the construction site
Police attack protesters

The construction site of the nuclear power plant was in an open field between the villages of Kirchohsen and Grohnde. On March 19, 1977, the Weserbergland citizens' initiative first held a rally in Kirchohsen, about one kilometer northwest of the building site, which was peaceful and attended by around 1,000 people. Many other demonstrators passed the place on their way to the building site and mingled in the meeting of the citizens' initiative. After demonstrators peacefully occupied a level crossing in the village, the citizens' initiative lost control of its gathering and declared it over.

According to estimates by the police, around 12,000 to 15,000 demonstrators had appeared at the Grohnde NPP construction site; According to information from the ranks of the demonstrators, there were 20,000 people. According to estimates by the police, these included around 2000 violent demonstrators who were equipped with helmets, shields, gas masks and weatherproof clothing ( Friesennerz ) and carried iron bars, chains, wooden slats and stones with them. Equipment such as hacksaws, welding machines, ladders and ropes were brought up in vehicles. Violent demonstrators were often divided into squads, which were marked by letter abbreviations similar to motor vehicle license plates. From these ranks there had already been attacks on the police when approaching a roadblock and demonstrators pulled a sideways police truck with their combined forces aside. The police gave up another roadblock, given the overwhelming power of the demonstrators.

Protesters remove barbed wire from the site fence
Police riders in the midst of demonstrators

Violent demonstrators and the police forces on the construction site developed violent clashes at the site fence, which lasted over two hours. Protesters used bolt cutters and torches to damage the protective fence , while others protected them from police water cannons with boards and carpets. Both sides used long iron bars against each other to keep their distance. Water cannons sprayed a mixture containing tear gas ( CN ), against which demonstrators wore gas masks. The police emptied fire extinguishers in order to clog the filters of the gas masks with the extinguishing powder. The Federal Border Police fired tear gas grenades from rifles with a shooting cup attachment . Demonstrators shot steel balls with Zwillen and threw stones and paint bags at police officers and their vehicles on the construction site.

With their technical means, the demonstrators managed to separate individual fence elements from the supporting pillars. They brought the outer protective fence to collapse in several places with ropes, pulling together and using winches . At one point they tore down the outer and inner fence about 10 meters wide. Police officers on the construction site initially prevented demonstrators from entering through the gap, while large numbers of police officers came from outside to finally push the demonstrators off the site fence. In this situation, hand-to-hand fighting developed between police officers and protesters, which resulted in most of the injuries. In some places, demonstrators routed the police. When the success of the police operation threatened to taper, police riders rode into the crowd at a gallop and injured peaceful demonstrators in the process.

Résumé

According to information from among the demonstrators, 800 demonstrators were injured. In 600 cases, these were minor injuries, such as eye irritation from tear gas or mental exhaustion. Seven demonstrators were in inpatient treatment and 50 in outpatient treatment. According to the police, around 240 police officers were injured, 51 of whom were seriously injured with treatment in hospitals.

According to police, 26 demonstrators were arrested. According to information from the group of demonstrators, 80 people were arrested.

According to the operating company of the Grohnde NPP, the damage caused by the demonstrators on the construction site was around DM 100,000.

The police put their deployment costs at 310,000 DM and the damage to their operating material at 210,000 DM.

The violence at the site fence, which was also attended by the peaceful demonstrators and members of the Weserbergland citizens' initiative , subsequently led to controversial discussions about the legitimacy of various methods of protest. As a result, political groups were formed that ran for local elections , such as the atomic power no thanks community founded in 1977 in the Hameln-Pyrmont district .

The police had largely realistically estimated the number of participants in the demonstration in advance. She was surprised by the division of labor, well-prepared and determined action by around 2000 violent demonstrators. As a result of the obvious deficiencies, the police improved their equipment and training.

Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Ernst Albrecht, who followed the clashes at the site fence from a helicopter of the Federal Border Guard, spoke of a “planned coup” and “sheer violence”. He called for the KBW to be banned as a criminal organization , since its relatives are said to have been significantly involved in the violence. The Interior Minister of Lower Saxony Rötger Groß said that an event of such brutality had not been known in the Federal Republic until then.

Aftermath

In June 1977 the Grohnde nuclear power plant was occupied by around 100 members of citizens' groups who wanted to prevent the plant from building two cooling towers. They built a hut village with nine permanent buildings and 85 tents. Up to 200 permanent residents stayed there. After the ranks of the occupiers repeatedly disrupted construction work on the nuclear power plant during the summer, the police evacuated the camp in August 1977. In retrospect, the Hanover district government demanded more than 200,000 DM from the approximately 200 people who were found during the evacuation as joint debtors as administrative costs. In 1980 the Hanover Administrative Court declared the eviction unlawful because the occupiers did not have the opportunity to appeal .

The disputes of March 19, 1977 were legally dealt with by the so-called Grohnde trials . The court hearings took place from the autumn of 1977 until the end of 1978 before the Hanover Regional Court and the Hameln Local Court . Of the eleven demonstrators accused of , among other things, serious breach of the peace , resistance to law enforcement officers and serious bodily harm , eight were sentenced to prison terms. The court hearings led the anti-nuclear movement to demonstrations in Bremen, Hameln and Hanover, some with several thousand participants.

reception

Exhibition 40 Years of the Battle of Grohnde 1977–2017 in the Lower Saxony Police Museum

For the 40th anniversary of the protests against the construction of the Grohnde nuclear power plant in 2017, the Hamelin historian Bernhard Gelderblom developed the exhibition 40 Years of the Battle of Grohnde . The exhibition was created as a history project of the regional conference "AKW Grohnde" switch off . It is essentially based on documents, posters and photos of those involved at the time and does not follow a historical approach. After the opening on March 17, 2017 in the Hameln Minster Church, the exhibition was shown as a traveling exhibition in other places such as Göttingen , Bad Pyrmont and Nienburg / Weser ( Police Museum Lower Saxony ).

See also

literature

  • Michael Stricker: Grohnde - Documentation of the police operations on the occasion of the demonstration against the Grohnde nuclear power plant on March 19, 1977 and the evacuation of the occupied cooling tower area on August 23 , 1977 , Verlag für Polizeiwissenschaft, Frankfurt am Main 2014, ISBN 978-3-86676-375-3
  • Jürgen Schröder: Documents to protest against the Grohnde nuclear power plant at the mao project (materials for analyzing opposition)
  • Bernhard Gelderblom: 40 Years of the Battle of Grohnde 1977–2017 , Jörg Mitzkat Verlag, Holzminden

Web links

Commons : Protests against the construction of the Grohnde nuclear power plant  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cores of Resistance. The citizens' initiative Weserbergland. at: Exhibition 40 Years 'Battle of Grohnde' 1977–2017 , pdf
  2. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Vorwort. Pp. 7-12
  3. ↑ Penitential service on the subject of the preservation of creation on November 17, 1976 at the building site. at: Exhibition 40 Years 'Battle of Grohnde' 1977–2017 , pdf
  4. ↑ Symbolic occupation of the building site in Grohnde on February 19, 1979. in: Exhibition 40 Years 'Battle of Grohnde' 1977–2017 , pdf
  5. ↑ a b c d e compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatznachbildung. 6.2 Troublemakers and demonstrators. , Pp. 223-226
  6. ↑ a b c d opponents of nuclear power. Evil massacre in Der Spiegel on March 28, 1977
  7. ↑ a b compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzvor Preparation. Pp. 13-21
  8. ↑ Gorleben: A chronicle of the events at ndr.de from February 17, 2017
  9. ↑ a b compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzvorag. P. 68
  10. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Securing the NPP object and daily police force. Pp. 78-81
  11. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Task forces, deployment concept and resources. Pp. 23-36
  12. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Task forces, deployment concept and resources. 2.2.4 Disturbance situation. P. 39
  13. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Task forces, deployment concept and resources. 2.2 Mission concept. Pp. 37-38
  14. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.3 The assembly in Kirchohsen and the two demonstration trains. P. 82
  15. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.3 The assembly in Kirchohsen and the two demonstration trains. P. 86
  16. ^ March 19, 1977. The rally in Kirchohsen and the occupation of the rails. at: Exhibition 40 Years 'Battle of Grohnde' 1977–2017 , pdf
  17. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.3 The assembly in Kirchohsen and the two demonstration trains. P. 87
  18. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzvorag. P. 69
  19. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.4 The breakthrough of the interferers from two sides in the direction of the NPP. P. 101
  20. ^ March 19, 1977. The scene of the police blockade at the exit of Kirchohsen. at: Exhibition 40 Years 'Battle of Grohnde' 1977–2017 , pdf
  21. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.4 The breakthrough of the interferers from two sides in the direction of the NPP. P. 104
  22. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.5 The first attack of the troublemakers on the north fence. P. 109
  23. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.5 The main attack of the troublemakers on the northeast and east fence. P. 134
  24. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.5 The main attack of the troublemakers on the northeast and east fence. P. 117
  25. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.7 The fate of the 1st Wawe-Hu. P. 155
  26. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzführung. 4.8 The attack by the police riders. Pp. 181-184
  27. ↑ a b compare literature: Michael Stricker: Einsatzfolgetag. Sunday, March 20th, 1977. P. 206
  28. Jump up very quickly in Der Spiegel of August 8, 1977
  29. ^ March 19, 1977. The day after. at: Exhibition 40 Years 'Battle of Grohnde' 1977–2017 , pdf
  30. ↑ Albrecht thinks about the ban of the KBW. "First general staff-like prepared attack against the police" , in: FAZ , No. 68 of March 22, 1977, p. 5
  31. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: The occupation of the cooling tower area. 8.1 The establishment of the hut village. Pp. 235-244
  32. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: The occupation of the cooling tower area. 8.1 The evacuation of the hut village. Pp. 236-250
  33. ^ The anti-nuclear village of Grohnde. at: Exhibition 40 Years 'Battle of Grohnde' 1977–2017 , pdf
  34. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: Afterword. P. 259
  35. ↑ compare literature: Michael Stricker: 9. The Grohnde processes. Pp. 251-258
  36. ↑ The history project 40 years "Battle for Grohnde"
  37. ↑ 1 exhibition: 40 Years of the Battle of Grohnde 1977–2017 ( Memento of the original from March 11, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / hameln-pyrmont.bund.net
  38. ↑ Dorothee Balzereit: Exhibition opened: Huge flashback to the nuclear power plant protest in Dewezet on March 17, 2017
  39. ↑ Events on the history project 40 years “Battle for Grohnde” at Grohnde Campaign