Federal Border Guards and Police Tear Down the "Free Republic of Wendland" (June 4, 1980)
On May 3, 1980, anti-nuclear activists occupied site 1004 (which was located in the vicinity of Gorleben in Lower Saxony) to stop the federal government from running drilling trials for a nuclear waste facility. A village of wooden huts was erected and the “Free Republic of Wendland” was proclaimed. It had its own flag and issued passports; approximately 300 people lived there for a time. Several thousand sympathizers also passed through the village; most were residents of the region. On June 4, 1980, the police and the federal border guards finally cleared site 1004, ending the short existence of the “republic.” Photo by Günter Zint.
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