Thousands of people formed human chains in Germany and France to protest the use of nuclear power on Sunday, the first anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disasters that crippled the Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant, while protesters also gathered at antinuclear rallies in New York and California.
At least 24,000 people, holding torches, formed an 80-km-long human chain in areas near Braunschweig, Germany, which has decided to abandon nuclear power by the end of 2022, according to an organizer. The chain encircled three nuclear facilities, including a temporary storage site for nuclear waste in the vicinity of the city.
In France, a country that depends on nuclear energy for around 75 percent of its power, an environmental conservation group and the Europe Ecology-Green Party organized a 230-km human chain event in areas connecting the southern French cities of Lyon and Avignon, where over 10 reactors are located.