Activist ordered to pay over €8,200 damages for nuclear plant demolition
A pro-nuclear activist from Karlsruhe has been ordered to pay damages after he delayed the planned demolition of the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant. The Schweinfurt regional court imposed damages on him and banned him from entering several nuclear power plant sites.
Civil court orders activist to pay damages
Following civil proceedings before the Schweinfurt regional court, a 39-year-old activist from Karlsruhe must pay damages of over €8,200. According to n-tv, the man disrupted the planned demolition of the cooling towers at the decommissioned Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant on 16 August 2024.
The pro-nuclear activist climbed into the exclusion zone on the day of the demolition and scaled an electricity pylon to a height of approximately six metres. This forced emergency services to rescue him from the danger zone. The cooling towers consequently fell approximately one and a half hours later than planned.
Power plant operator Preussenelektra, a subsidiary of E.ON, had sued for damages of approximately €7,000. The court awarded the company claims totalling over €8,200. In addition, the regional court banned the man from entering the nuclear power plant sites at Brokdorf, Stade, Grohnde, Würgassen, Unterweser, Grafenrheinfeld and Isar – breach of the ban carries a penalty of up to €250,000.
With his action, he sought to take a stand against Germany's legally decided nuclear phase-out, the activist explained. In May, the regional court convicted him in criminal proceedings of trespassing and imposed a sentence of 60 daily rates of €30 each. This criminal conviction is not yet final – the man has lodged an appeal.
Source: n-tv