A nuclear waste shipment reached its destination in northern Germany today under the watch of thousands of police drafted in to combat anti-nuclear protesters for the past three days.
German authorities implemented one of the biggest security operations in peacetime to ensure the six containers carrying some 60 to 90 tonnes reached the Gorleben storage dump from western France.
In Lower Saxony, location of the storage depot, the number of police on duty was 18,000.
Countrywide, some 30,000 police were mobilised or standing by to see the cargo of so-called Castors arrived without further delay after a 24-hour delay caused by the protesters earlier this week.
"It was not possible to stop the Castors by non-violent means.We were really put out of action," said Mr Manfred Geltmacher, who was among the dozens of local protesters here.
"The right to demonstrate no longer exists in this republic," he said, speaking of his "anger and sadness".
Anti-nuclear feeling is strong in Germany, and the thousands of protesters who wanted to "Stop the Castors" came from all over the country.
The six containers of nuclear waste left the reprocessing center at La Hague near Cherbourg early on Monday, traveling by rail and road to Gorleben.
It was the first such shipment from France to Germany after a three-year suspension due to security concerns.
AFP