During a global nuclear energy summit held in France on Tuesday, two Greenpeace activists rushed the stage, interrupting speeches by French President Emmanuel Macron and Rafael Grossi, head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
The protesters, dressed in black suits and ties, held banners bearing the Greenpeace logo with slogans reading "Nuclear power = energy insecurity" and "Nuclear power fuels Russia’s war."
One protester shouted at Macron, "Why are we still buying uranium from Russia?" President Macron responded, "We produce our own nuclear energy."
According to the latest data from the French government, France not only possesses its own uranium enrichment capacity but also imports uranium enrichment services for its power plants, including supplies from Russia.
Data from the World Nuclear Association indicates that by 2025, Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom will account for approximately 44% of global uranium enrichment capacity. Four years after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, European nuclear energy producers are still struggling to reduce this supply dependency.
Greenpeace stated that around 15 activists blocked vehicle access to the venue in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris.
On Tuesday, France is hosting the second World Nuclear Energy Summit, bringing together leaders from around the world to discuss and promote nuclear energy.
Greenpeace France described the summit as "ill-timed" and disconnected from current events, citing the "tragic situation" of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, strikes against Iran, and the impacts of climate destruction.
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