the police and the political establishment are trying to make the best out of the
"accident". stupid speakers of the wuropean party called for a "stop of all
protests" ...

however, the information told by corporate media are hard to believe:

-- the accident had taken "in a curve", it is said.
noone ever did any action directly in a place with no view at all.

-- french rail said the helicopter, which is normally flying in front
of the nucklear transport, was away to get fuel. strange ...
this happend close to the german border, an area where lots of action took
place during the last transports. is it possible that noboy espected this ...

nevertheless people in the wendland, destinition of the transport, reacted with anger.
in Hitzacker, a small town abou 30km from Gorleben, demonstrators smashed several
police cars after a demonstration. in about 25 cities spontanous protest took place
in front of police and railway stations ...

It is hard to find out what really happened. I cannot imagine that a person remains sitting when a huge train comes towards him and it becomes clear that it is not able to stop. Would you choose to stay on the railway when all your friends would unchain themselves and try to escape?
No one except the other 3 activists can tell what really happened; if the protest took place in a curve, why all the different warning and route control systems of the police have failed at the same time and so on.
I believe that it is a horrible accident and all acitivists out there should make sure that, whatever they plan to protest against the horrific nuclear industry, always make sure that you can decide when you want to end the protest and that there is always a back up warning system in place. Don't rely on the official one! We protest for a better life and a better future against a deathly industry and we can only do that when we act safely.

What can you say, this is terrible news. I am saddened. Another person dies trying to make the world a better place.

Here is a foto of Sebastien, the dead anti-nuclear protestor.
To get informations about his life, read the local news-paper:
 http://www.estrepublicain.fr/regionlo/

Anyone considering chaining themselves to the track must be carefull. Trains can take a mile or more to stop. Make sure you are able to free yourself in an emergency.

If you unchain yourself, you DEFEAT THE WHOLE PURPOSE. It's a shame this guy died, but people will remember this for years, just like Rachel Corrie. With Rachel, I'm sure she stood her ground in front of the 'dozer for exactly this reason, and her action is now world famous, will be remembered forever. Google returns 104,000 hits when queried with her name, which is 15,000 more than for "international solidarity movement." It's a shame a beautiful person like Rachel had to die to show the world what scum the Israelis are, but at the same time it's inevitable.

Lest we forget that it isn't the first time that a train failed to stop when a protester stood in its path. Brian S. Wilson survived having lost both legs -  http://www.brianwillson.com/bio.html - his account reproduced here, with 'I' replaced by 'he' and 'we' replaced by 'they' etc.

A short film about Brian S. Wilson is available on a compelling and unmissable DVD compilation called ‘What I’ve Learned About U.S. Foreign Policy’ - available from:  http://www.addictedtowar.com/dorrel.html

"Brian S. Wilson has participated in actions to directly block movement of lethal munitions from the United States intended for killing and maiming innocent human beings in Nicaragua and El Salvador. In 1987, while peacefully blocking a military train at a U.S. Navy munitions base in California loaded with armaments headed for Central America, he received severe injuries and was almost murdered when the train chose not to stop. The Navy train crew and their superiors knew in advance of our nonviolent three-member veterans' blockade and had a clear, 650-foot view as the train approached us at high noon on a bright sunny day. Though expecting to be arrested and jailed by the nearby armed U.S. Marines and local police, they never imagined the conscious and criminal acceleration of the loaded train to more than three times its posted five-mile-an-hour legal speed limit. He lost both legs, suffered a fractured skull, multiple other injuries, and nearly lost his life as he was run over by the speeding train. One of the other veterans dove out of the way at the last minute. The other veteran jumped high in the air to grab onto the cow catcher railing on the front of the locomotive just above the platform where the two government spotters stood. A military ambulance and crew quickly arrived on the scene but refused to transport him to a hospital, alleging that his limp, maimed body was not lying on military property. In the meantime, his wife, who was a midwife, and other friends at the scene, worked feverishly to stop the bleeding and to preserve his life energy while we awaited arrival of another ambulance 15 or 20 minutes later.

"He recovered from that assault with the help of multiple surgeries, including repair of his lacerated right frontal brain lobe, placing of a protective plate in his skull, and the fitting of prostheses for each leg. However, without the tremendous love and support from around the United States and the world that nourished my healing process he might not have survived the trauma.

"No jurisdiction, local, state or federal, was willing to bring criminal charges against the U.S. Navy and its employees. Thus he had to seek redress in civil court. Subsequently he and his lawyers learned that during the VFFL in the fall of 1986, the FBI had identified a number of politically active U.S. citizens as suspected domestic "terrorists," including us four fasters. While still recovering in the hospital, government investigators quizzed him on their plans for "hijacking" the train. He was shocked! It was obvious that such scenario was imagined by paranoid government security officials such as members of the FBI. They also learned that on the day of the assault the government's train crew members were ordered by their superiors not to stop the train for fear that they might attempt to board the locomotive. Strangely, there were 300 armed U.S. Marines stationed at this base to assure its security, and some were present just a few feet from them at the time of the assault."