40 years ago, opponents of nuclear power protested against the planned nuclear waste repository in Gorleben with a "state within a state". On May 3, 1980 they set up the "Free Republic of Wendland". After 33 days, the activities of the activists came to an abrupt end.
by Carina Werner
"To the cops! If you come by here with your water cannons, then water our plants very gently and evenly. And alas, there's chemical shit in the water - ugh! This is an organic garden." What is written on the entrance gate of the carefully landscaped vegetable garden is the program in the "Free Republic of Wendland":It's cheeky and cheerful here. The "Free Republic of Wendland", which gave the anti-nuclear movement new impetus in the early 1980s, is a lived utopia, a social experiment, but also a protest action that attracted media attention. The "republic" near Gorleben lasted for a total of 33 days from May 3rd, 1980, until the Federal Government forcibly evicted it on June 4th.
Anti-nuclear protests with tractor demos and liquid manure
Protest actions against the planned Gorleben nuclear waste repository in Wendland, Lower Saxony, have been taking place since the 1970s. On February 22, 1977, Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Ernst Albrecht (CDU) announced that a nuclear repository and a reprocessing plant were to be built in Gorleben. Just two weeks later, thousands of opponents of nuclear power from all over Germany demonstrated in Gorleben against the plans. Residents and critics have become increasingly broader in their protests over the years. They organize sit-ins on roads leading to Gorleben, climb trees that are to be cleared for the drilling site and organize the so-called Gorleben Trek to Hanover, one of the largest anti-nuclear demonstrations in post-war history. At the beginning of 1980, angry farmers distributed thousands of liters of manure on the deep drilling site 1004 - the area in the municipality of Trebel near Gorleben, under which the salt dome is located, which the federal government favors as a nuclear repository.
3. May 1980:establishment of a "republic" for 33 days
The Juso chairman Gerhard Schröder - on the right in the picture - speaks to the occupiers on May 31, 1980.On May 3, 1980, the protest in Wendland reached a climax:several thousand opponents of nuclear power marched through the forest and occupied the site of deep drilling site 1004. There they proclaimed their own state, the "Free Republic of Wendland" or "Republic of Free Wendland" - it is not taken that precisely here. The piece of land chosen does not look very inviting:a bare, sandy, cleared piece of forest on which drilling is to take place to check whether the underground salt dome is suitable for a repository.
A tree trunk serves as a border crossing. There, the opponents of nuclear power and newly minted villagers put up a warning sign that reads:"Stop, FRG. Caution, firearms." For a fee of 10 DM, those entering the country receive a "Wendenpass" with a stamp. From now on, several hundred people live on the site every day. Thousands of sympathizers and curious tourists flock here on weekends. Among the visitors was Gerhard Schröder, then head of Juso, who spoke out against an eviction.
Meditation, sauna, rock concerts and its own radio station
The villagers build a temporary village with more than 100 huts, from elaborate round houses to simple Indian tents, out of mud and wood. A meditation house, a church, a friendship house, a sauna, bathing huts, greenhouses, a medical center, a hairdressing salon, a garbage dump, a pony riding facility for tourists and an eight-meter-high swing boat will also be built. Even a separate radio station is being built from scratch:"Radio Freies Wendland" will be broadcasting its own program from a tower from May 18th. In the evenings there are lectures, discussions, rock concerts and puppet shows. The villagers are involved in various working groups, plant trees, build new buildings or buy food in the surrounding villages. They receive active support from local residents and are supplied with timber and food.
4. June 1980:Bulldozers and tanks against "high treason"
Around 7,000 police officers and members of the Federal Border Police are involved in clearing the village of huts. In addition to bulldozers, water cannons and batons are also used.The federal government under SPD Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and the state government of Lower Saxony reacted less enthusiastically. In an interview with NDR, Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Egbert Möcklinghoff (CDU) castigated the occupation as "high treason" against his own country. In fact, the residents of the "Free Republic of Wendland" have violated numerous applicable laws, including the construction law, the epidemic law and the registration law.
On June 4, 1980, the hustle and bustle came to an end:at dawn, around 6 a.m., thousands of police officers and federal border guards surrounded the deep drilling site 1004 with bulldozers and tanks. The members of the armored squad have their faces painted black. Helicopters are circling in the sky. With around 7,000 men, this is the largest police operation in post-war history. At 7 a.m., the occupiers were asked via loudspeaker to leave the square.
"Remember, we're the lucky ones!"
In 2002, an anti-nuclear demonstrator was still wearing a "demo card" from the "Republic of Free Wendland".2,000 residents have gathered on the village square of the "Republic". They sing peaceful songs with titles like "The lust for life is our resistance". An accordion player plays the ship's piano. "With everything that will happen now, remember:We are the lucky ones! We built and planted here. The unlucky ones are the ones who are now in white helmets, who are now supposed to attack us with clubs," try activists like the NS -Resistance fighter and Green Party co-founder Heinz Brandt to encourage his fellow campaigners.
End of a utopia with batons
The eviction on June 4, 1980:squatters are carried away by the police.The police repeated their request several times, but the demonstrators did not move. At 11 a.m., squads of police officers and border guards start carrying people from the village square. Although the sitters offer no resistance, batons are used. "You can destroy tower and gate, but not our strength that created it," reads one of the last huts before a bulldozer flattens them. The evacuation ended around 8 p.m. The empty village square is fenced off with barbed wire. The "Free Republic of Wendland" no longer exists. But that's not entirely true:the spirit of the "republic" will live on in the anti-nuclear movement for decades to come.