4,000 Protest on Eve of Seabrook Nuclear Tests

Several thousand demonstrators sang protest songs and listened to anti-nuclear speeches Saturday in the first of two days of rallies against the imminent start of low-power tests at the Seabrook nuclear power plant.

The rally of nearly 4,000 activists at Hampton Beach State Park was a prelude to today’s planned protest, in which, organizers said, demonstrators will try to climb fences and block gates at the plant site.

The protests were organized by the Clamshell Alliance, an anti-nuclear group that has battled Seabrook since 1976.

Chain Reaction Near

The $6-billion plant, built by a consortium of New England utilities, received its low-power operating license on May 26, and operators expect to start the first nuclear chain reaction by the middle of this week.

The much-delayed plant on the New Hampshire seacoast was originally slated to be completed in 1981 at a cost of $1 billion.

Speakers on Saturday warned of the dangers of nuclear power and urged protesters not to give up the fight against Seabrook, even though the plant is about to begin operation.

Ben Cohen, of the local Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, denied that the protesters represent an overly vocal minority.

‘Conscience of America’

“This is not some radical fringe group,” he said. “This is the conscience of America.”

Traffic was snarled for miles on Route 1A leading to the park as anti-nuclear activists mixed with beach-goers. Police officers remained largely out of sight but braced for the possibility of many arrests today.

Clamshell Alliance organizers said attempts to occupy the plant would be nonviolent and that all demonstrators have been trained in civil disobedience tactics.

Police said anyone trying to enter the plant would be arrested.

More than 1,400 protesters were arrested during demonstrations in 1977 as construction began. In all, about 3,000 arrests have been made during demonstrations since 1976, activists said.

Safety Hazard Claimed

Seabrook opponents contend that the plant poses a safety hazard, and they maintain that the evacuation of nearby beaches would be impossible in the event of an accident during the summer months.

New Hampshire Yankee, Seabrook’s owner, says the plant is safe and that adequate evacuation procedures have been adopted and approved by federal regulators.