Plogoff
Encyclopedia
Plogoff is a commune
in the Finistère
department of Brittany in north-western France
.
It contains three small ports suitable for very small vessels: Pors-Loubous, Feunten-Aod and Bestrée. The local industries include tourism, traditional biscuitery, agriculture and fishing.
decided to establish a production's nuclear power plant in Brittany. At first, they tried to establish it in Erdeven, Morbihan. But shield walls fastly rose up. EDF then proposed to establish the project in Ploumoguer, Finistère, just north of Brest. Rightist Elected councilmen around Brest were agree for such a power plant, but not so near of Brest. So, in a treachery's manner, they decided to focus on Plogoff. A village which was mostly populated by old people - unable, for french authorities to protest like in the 2 previous project's places -. But, when Plogoff was proposed by EDF , as a site for a nuclear power plant
. Local residents blocked access to the site in 1976, with renewed protests in 1978 and 1979.
In 1980, the national government and EDF attempted to fulfill their statutory obligations to allow the project to proceed by displaying the public utility inquiry documents in the local mairie or city hall. Local officials burned the documents and refused to allow replacement documents to be displayed. In response, the national government set up mobile mairies annexes to display the documents in town centers. These mairies annexes became the focus of the protest movement. For 45 days, the riot police (CRS
), the military police (gendarmerie
) and some parachutists (EPIGN) guarded the mairies annexes while coming under attack from the protesters.
Once the obligation to display the documents had been met and the documents were withdrawn, the protesters occupied the proposed site of the facility.
In 1981 François Mitterrand
was elected President of France. Mitterrand carried out his campaign promise to cancel the project.
A movie «Plogoff, des pierres contre des fusils» («Plogoff, stones against rifles») relating the struggle against the french security forces produced by Nicole & Félix Le Garrec.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
department of Brittany in north-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It contains three small ports suitable for very small vessels: Pors-Loubous, Feunten-Aod and Bestrée. The local industries include tourism, traditional biscuitery, agriculture and fishing.
Nuclear plant project
In the early 1970s, the French state power company, EDFÉlectricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
decided to establish a production's nuclear power plant in Brittany. At first, they tried to establish it in Erdeven, Morbihan. But shield walls fastly rose up. EDF then proposed to establish the project in Ploumoguer, Finistère, just north of Brest. Rightist Elected councilmen around Brest were agree for such a power plant, but not so near of Brest. So, in a treachery's manner, they decided to focus on Plogoff. A village which was mostly populated by old people - unable, for french authorities to protest like in the 2 previous project's places -. But, when Plogoff was proposed by EDF , as a site for a nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
. Local residents blocked access to the site in 1976, with renewed protests in 1978 and 1979.
In 1980, the national government and EDF attempted to fulfill their statutory obligations to allow the project to proceed by displaying the public utility inquiry documents in the local mairie or city hall. Local officials burned the documents and refused to allow replacement documents to be displayed. In response, the national government set up mobile mairies annexes to display the documents in town centers. These mairies annexes became the focus of the protest movement. For 45 days, the riot police (CRS
CRS
-Science and technology:* Cambridge Reference Sequence, used in mitochondrial DNA testing* Canada Remote Systems, a now-defunct bulletin board system based in Toronto* Carrier Routing System, a large-scale core router...
), the military police (gendarmerie
Gendarmerie Nationale (France)
In France, the National Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces, in charge of public safety, with police duties among the civilian population. It also contains a military police force and a special forces component . It has a strength of more than 105,975 persons...
) and some parachutists (EPIGN) guarded the mairies annexes while coming under attack from the protesters.
Once the obligation to display the documents had been met and the documents were withdrawn, the protesters occupied the proposed site of the facility.
In 1981 François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
was elected President of France. Mitterrand carried out his campaign promise to cancel the project.
A movie «Plogoff, des pierres contre des fusils» («Plogoff, stones against rifles») relating the struggle against the french security forces produced by Nicole & Félix Le Garrec.