BRANDENBURG CITIZENS PRESENT 18 ANTI-WINDFARM CANDIDATES TO THE ELECTIONS
Press release from the European Platform Against Windfarms
Date: 22 August 2009
Reacting against the decision of the State of Brandenburg to considerably increase the already vast areas covered by windfarms, a local Volksinitiative (Popular Initiative) petition was launched, which gathered 27,000 signatures against the State's decision.
Note : the State of Brandenburg is the "Land" around Berlin. Its capital is Potsdam, and Berlin itself constitutes another Land. Germany is a federal state comprising 16 "Länder".
The Brandenburg constitutional laws allow the people to present a list to the elections without forming a political party, so the Popular Initiative decided to carry their protest further. They are now presenting 18 candidates to the state elections, outside the party system.
They are neither "left" nor "right", and seek to remain what they are: an independent "political formation" whose platform is to oppose the further degradation of the countryside by windfarms, as well as the current water policy of their government.
They are not supported by any political party, and they are not looking for political alliances. They just don't want more windfarms, and would like their voice to be heard. The elections will take place on September 27th.
Increasingly, many politicians violate their own laws. Entire countries are handed over to powerful windpower lobbies who remodel the landscape as they see fit. Wildlife reserves and historical landmarks cease to be protected so as to accommodate private financial interests. In the circumstances, it is no surprise to see people voting against the traditional parties who have betrayed them.
We, the European Platform Against Windfarms, representing 360 associations from 19 European countries, give our full support to the Volksinitiative. We approve of their action and wish them a resounding success at the coming elections.
May reason prevail. We cannot allow the misguided policies of our present leaders to disfigure natural, monumental, and cultural Europe, turning it into an industrial wasteland from Lapland to Gibraltar. They won’t even respect World Heritage sites and monuments (such as Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, where we are organising an international protest march on September 26th). There appears to be no limits to the subsidised greed that has been unleashed.
It is high time to rethink Europe's windfarm policy.
EPAW
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