At an evening rally in Scanzano Jonico, which has a population of 6,000, the protesters demanded that the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would reconsider the plans. "Scanzano will not become Italy's atomic refuse tip", the demonstrators shouted. "We have no idea how the dump will affect our health", emphasised the mayor Mario Altieri, who appropriated the land to be used for the dump with a decree. "It was intolerable", the opponents stated, "that the government in Rome had made the decision without consulting local people and authorities".

After the protests the government stated, that for now it would not persue further decisions. But demonstrators vowed to keep up their protests until the government the decision back. Opponents include trade unions and churches; environmental activists from all over Italy have joined in.

Sunday was the tenth day of blockades in a row. The blockades were situated at the much-used Salerno-Reggio Calabria railway line and the federal road along the Ionic Sea.

Farmers fear that the planned underground dump near the town of Scanzano Jonico on the Gulf of Tarent, 100 kilometres south of the port of Bari, would contaminate the water sources for their fields.

In a referendum in 1987 Italians decided massively against nuclear power production. The nuclear waste is said to come from plants that have been out of operation since then and other areas such as medical research. Ultimately, the dump is to hold 80,000 cubic metres of the waste.

Government experts chose the region because of its allegedly impervious soil, which they regard as ideal for a safe nuclear dump. The dump is to be built in the coming eight years at a cost of five billion euros.


Anti nuclear dump blockades in southern Italy
By uranix - 24.11.2003 15:06
Pictures and article in German at  http://germany.indymedia.org/2003/11/ 67191.shtml