July 26 – Police in Denmark detained six environmental activists on Tuesday protesting the felling of trees in a forest to make room for a research centre for wind turbines.
Protesters said they were not opposed to the centre, but to the location.
The test centre is meant to further Denmark’s position as world leader in wind power, commonly seen as environmentally friendly renewable energy as it consumes no fossil fuels and produces no emissions.
The protest began 10 days ago at Thy in windy northwestern Jutland where Denmark’s wind industry aims to test giant turbines up to 250 metres high (820 feet).
“We are not against the centre, we are not against the wind industry — on the contrary,” Kent Klemmesen, chairman of the campaign against the project, told Reuters. “We are against the location, because we feel there are far better alternatives.”
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Thursday morning, 15 July 2011, the local Danish police gave up removing the activists who since Friday, 15 July 2011, have prevented the cutting down of forest to make room for the planned National Test Centre for 250 metres high windmills in Thy, Northern Jutland [Denmark].
Ten police officers turned up to end the blockade, but withdrew when it turned out that there were more activists than expected. The protestors are camping in the forest area where the authorities intend to cut down the trees to create the right wind conditions in the Test Centre. “We shall be back in greater numbers,” the police said.
The Test Centre will be situated between a protected bird sanctuary, a so-called Ramsar area, and a Natura 2000 area. The Danish Society for Nature Conservation finds that the law regarding the Test Centre violates the European Union (EU) Habitat Directive, and has brought the case before the EU Commission who has requested a detailed statement from the Danish government. Furthermore, a local association has filed a case against the Danish State.
Friday, 15 July, the bird breeding season ended and by midnight the Danish authorities intended to start cutting down the forest. Throughout the day, the local population protested against the demolition of one of Denmark’s last wilderness area.
The activists simply laid down in front of the authorities’ machines to prevent the cutting down to start. They are staying in the area in tents, day and night. The ruling of the EU Commission is expected within a couple of weeks. The activists demand that the cutting be postponed until the ruling of the EU Commission and the verdict of a Danish court have been made public.
The demonstration in Thy has no central organization, but arose spontaneously. A spokesman for the activists appealed for support and assistance from both Europe and the rest of the world—support as soon as possible.
For more info, contact Peter Skeel Hjorth, spokesman of EPAW in Scandinavia and the Baltic States. Email: peter@skeelhjorth.dk Phone: +46 708 166521 Or Aleksander Sønder. Email: aleksander.soender@gmail.com Phone: +45 26160630
UPDATE & MORE BACKGROUND 7/26/2011: “Camp has been shut down again. Still there are people monitoring the forest actions and reporting them… The windmill company first wanted to settle the camp on a place where the military is training for Afghanistan. Because the military argues that they are in war, they did not led the test center be built there. So the last nature reserve in Denmark has to be victimized for this project. This isn’t democratically voted, and the legal issue at the European cout hasn’t been decided. Still the workers already started cutting down. And the police are still present.” —From an anonymous source on the frontlines
For a longer list of “players” benefiting from, and/or invested in, this project go here
For some pro-industry lies promising greatness and further information on this region and this enormous wind energy project also visit here
Protesters argue that the effects of the huge windmills on human and animal life have not been studied adequately and the 1,200 hectares (2,965 acres) of forest should be preserved.
Though tree felling has begun, Amos Stenner, an activist who spent five hours up in a tree on Tuesday, said he was not giving up. “It is very possible, that I will go up a new tree tomorrow,” he told Reuters.
The test centre project is run by the Danish Technical University DTU, with support from industry, including wind turbine manufacturers Vestas and Siemens and state-owned DONG Energy.