Greenpeace Raids French Nuclear Plant

Four Greenpeace activists were arrested in France today after breaking into a nuclear power plant; some scaled one of the reactors and sat atop it. The activists, who aimed to reveal flaws in plant safety, entered the area at 5am. "Simple activists with peaceful intentions and few means managed to reach the heart of a nuclear plant" in Nogent-sur-Seine, says a Greenpeace France member. The effort amounts to "patent proof that existing security systems aren't sufficient."

French officials will probe for any sign of “dysfunction” at the compound, says the country’s energy minister, adding that the plants are “well guarded.” The Fukushima nuclear disaster sparked controversy in a country that gets 80% of its power from nuclear facilities, making it second only to the US in nuclear power use, the Wall Street Journal reports. (More Greenpeace stories.)