Like most of the protest sites and projects alike, also the anti-nuclear protest camp at Pyhäjoki is used on getting its share of varying contacts. The camp email takes on the usual approaches of interested civilians, folks donating useful stuff or just people expressing their solidarity or support for the cause. From photos about solidarity actions in different corners of the continent to locals offering rain jackets – yes, we get that too.

Alongside and among these usual contacts are also the ones from interested medias: some more DIY- and comrade -based than others. The latest one we received from the British Isles, from the DIY-radio station Dissident Island Radio.

And this is the result of that session: a nice little nutshell of the history of anti-nuclear struggle at Pyhäjoki, the general energy political situation of Finland and, most of all, of the upcoming action week in April. Tune in: download or listen. Stop Fennovoima -section starts around 82 minutes (1h 22 minutes, that is).

Roughly 8AM on 3th of February couple of activists from the anti-nuclear protest camp in Pyhäjoki decided to visit the construction site of the planned nuclear power plant of Fennovoima-Rosatom.
Titan-2, the Russian company and the Main Building Contractor of most of Rosatom´s projects has a long history of unpaid salaries, forgotten payments, major delays and shady connections. On late January, several national media’s wrote about Titan-2’s financial troubles in Finland: turned out it had been Pyhäjoki’s turn to have its share of forgotten rents, unpaid salaries, sacked workers and procurements moved to Russia instead of local grounds – as originlly promised. Naturally, the activists got interested to check what exactly is happening at the constrution site in this situation – and decided to hold a bit of a civil inspection at the site.

The activists faced no troubles in entering the supposedly guarded construction site. While checking the premises, they also visited some of the still standing, expropriated cottages – wishing the former owners could still one day return.

After inspecting enough, one of them occupied a digger. By that time, the familiarly clueless security company, Arlia, also noticed there’s something strange happening in the neighborhood.

After that, that usual procedure followed. Cops made their way to the site, person occupying the digger refused to come down, clueless security personnel bobbed around trying to look efficient – and after a couple of hours the cherry picker rolled in. One person was detained, others managed not to run directly in to the arms of the clueless security, and thus, were not caught but made it off of the site undetained.

Ok. We’re not of that type who’d tend to say ”we told you so”: but – we told you so. Already in July 2015 the Pyhäjoki protest camp threw a solidarity action for the worker’s left unpaid at Titan-2’s worksite in Russia. The company is in charge of the construction of the reference plant of Hanhikivi 1. On July 2015 this site made it to the Russian headlines after a crane operator locked himself into his crane, demanding the unpaid salaries to be delivered to the workers. Some workers stated they haven’t got paid for four months. With the solidarity action the activists wated to draw attention to the exploitation of workforce tends to be also characteristic for this type of projects. There´s only so many ways to keep a business profitable: and while destruction of nature is one, exploitation of human reources is another one.

The Finnish subcontractors at the Pyhäjoki site have been reluctant to comment the latest events publicly. Is the silence being hold over a fear of loosing contracts, or te keep further trouble away – or have these firms perhaps agreed to special terms in case of problems already when signing the deals? At least one of the subcontractors has threatened to pull his machinery off of the construction site, but cancelled the plan when getting his payments delivered on the last moment.

Fennovoima-Rosatom’s project director Minna Forsström’s explanation’s for the reasons behind the difficulties in payments were held implausible by many national medias. In the era of internet ordinary citizens trade over different borders without ”transaction- and ban issues” giving any trouble. A year ago Russian ngo Bellona aso reported of Rosatom’s financial difficultie’s at the compaby’s South African worksite.

Besides salaries, Titan-2 has also left rents unpaid and sacked some its workers for ”productional and financial reasons”. How true these stated reasons are can be compared to the fact that Titan-2 has also its procurement unit at Pyhäjoki and stated, that from this one it will direct all of its prucurings to Russia. At least one of the sacked workers is taking his case to the district court.

We all know how often its stated that these projects are all about jobs: but to whom? COmpanies size of Rosatom tend to bring not only their own rules, but also their own staff instead of hiring locally. The workforce used in preparatory works are customarely low-cost workforce brought in from cheaper Baltic and former Eastern bock countries – and there’s no reason to expect the Fennovoima-Rosatom site to be any different. False promises about jobs are just one more trincet these firms use to get what they want from municipalities and communities.

Both reactors, Hanhikivi 1 ja Leningrad 2 in Sosnovyi Bor share besides Titan-2 also a second company, St.Petersburgian Spaep. What you bet: how soon we’re going to have more troubles rolling in?

The new flyers and posters are ready!

•  Printable flyer (in english)
•  Printable flyer (in finnish)

•  Printable poster (in english)
•  Printable poster (in finnish)

So. There’s an anti-nuclear protest site at the west coast of Finland. And it’s holding an action week between 22th of April – 1th of May, 2016, while celebrating its first anniversary of existence. What’s all this about? To put it all in a simple nutshell:

Fennovoima is a Finnish nuclear power company established in 2007 by a consortium of Finnish power and industrial companies thinking it’s a mighty good idea to put up a nuke plant at Pyhäjoki, a small municipality at the west coast of Finland – by any means necessary. Fennovoima’s project nearly faced its much wished-for doom when German energy giant E.ON, the main investor of the project at that time, decided nuclear power is bad business and withdrew its money in 2012.

Rosatom is Russian state corporation: it’s the only vendor in the global markets that offers the nuclear industry’s entire range of products, both civil and weapons. It’s led in an authoritarian manner by a nine-person strong supervisory board, elected single-handedly by President Putin – and naturally, famous for projects riddled with mafia connections, massive delays and accidents.

Fennovoima-Rosatom was born when Rosatom marched in to save Fennovoima: after E.ON left, it was the only investor willing to participate. Fennovoima needed a financial saviour – and Rosatom aimed to polish its reputation with a project in the west. It’s all about the geopolitics, you know: it doesn’t hurt Russia to place a geopolitical footprint to a region close to Nato-favoured NEAT military test area in northern Sweden and of that much-talked about Arctic oil.

The Pyhäjoki protest camp saw daylight on April 2015, when first clear cuts started at Hanhikivi peninsula. While legally shady ”preparing works” advanced, the camp held its ground at the very construction site for five months, blocking the works, causing the local police complaining they haven’t got the resources anymore to deal with the protestors. At the same time newspapers were filled with news of sabotage and general mischief. In September 2015 the eviction of the camp took place, taking full eight days to get the last climber out. After the eviction the camp relocated to a site offered by a local land owner, roughly 4 km outside the construction site. Direct action and general mischief – still in program.

We know its a bit of a madhouse here, as you get to face with one go the whole current Russian administration, Nato-West, a nuclear energy giant, private security firms and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy of Finland. But hey, ho told not to aim high? On April 2016 the camp holds its first anniversary – and it’s time to pump up the gear. To be mad enough to bring the concept of mass civil disobedience to Finland in this scale. The goal is simple: to flood the construction site with people – and hold it as long as possible. May the nearby regions also be filled with all sorts of anti-nuclear, anti-capitalism, pro-all-things-good actions. We tip our hats to diversity of tactics – and summon all of you ecofreaks, antimilitarists and others to join us.

Schedules and infobits

22nd of April – 1sth of May: the action week.

Pyhäjoki is accessible by public transportation, hitch-hiking and cars: check the map or contact us for details. We cook vegan. Accommodation mainly in big heatable army tents – but if you have a tent on you, bring it in! Remember to dress warm. Solidarity is a verb: we encourage folks to drop in a voluntarily donation for food and such. Yes, you’ll be able to wash: but it’ll be chilly. Before arriving we’d love you to drop as a post beforehand of when, how many, with or without tents etc. you’re coming.

Questions will be answered at: stopfennovoima [at] protonmail.com

22.-23rd of April: Opening party! Music! People! Fun!

26th of April: Chernobyl memorial day – and the big action day. Along the week other activities possible.

1st of May: You get the drift. We bet you do.

For the whole week there will be workshops, lectures and skill sharing stuff to keep you busy.