Started by Pacman7331, Nov 19, 2010, 06:24 PM
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stuck her neck out by backing Stuttgart 21 to the hilt
Stuttgart 21 - a major transport project to redevelop the city's railway infrastructure - has provoked mass protests that are unprecedented in the history of Stuttgart, capital of Baden-Württemberg (a state in south western Germany). However the turnout on the protests would have been exceptional anywhere. Four protests over a ten day period drew 20,000 (30/9.), 100,000 (1/10.), 55,000 (4/10.) and 150,000 (9/10.) out of Stuttgart's 600,000 inhabitants. Since then, twice a week, tens of thousands have continued to demonstrate. Elsewhere in Germany, thousands took to the streets in response to the government's decision to extend the operational life of the country's nuclear power stations. On 18 September more than 100,000 demonstrators marched in Berlin, while in Munich 50,000 protestors formed a human chain. Tens of thousands are expected to turn out in early November when Castor trains transport nuclear waste across the country. This autumn has already brought rail strikes and will also see "Weeks of Action" and demonstrations organised by the trade unions, which are likely to mobilise tens of thousands of working people.
In this German-wide survey, 54% were against Stuttgart 21, with only 33% in favour. There is a lot of talk about political apathy and lack of interest - yet only 11% said they could not offer an opinion on this issue. Even among Liberal Party (FDP) supporters, there was a majority against Stuttgart 21 and among supporters of the main conservative coalition partner (CDU) 40% disagreed with the project. The survey showed 71% disapproved of police actions against the protests and 76% said their sympathy was with the demonstrators.
