Over 10,000 protest Franco-Spanish high-tension powerline 31/03/2008 00:00

Thousands protested Sunday in northern Spain against the potential health effects of a 400,000-volt power line set to cross over the Franco-Spanish border.

  GERONA, Spain, March 31, 2008 - Thousands protested Sunday in
northern Spain against the potential health effects of a 400,000-volt power
line set to cross over the Franco-Spanish border and feed a future highspeed
train service.
   There were 12,000 participants, according to the organisers of the
demonstration in Gerona, northeastern Spain, while police put the number at
10,000.
   The demonstrators took to the streets in opposition to the high-tension
(HT) transmission line that promoters say would not only supply power to the
future TGV train between Perpignan and Barcelona, but also lower the price of
energy in the region.
   Protestors, however, worried about the health risks associated with such an
installation.
   "No to HT, not here, not anywhere" was the slogan of the protest that got
underway in the morning in the city's historic quarter.
   Traditional Catalan music and dance added colour to the march, with a
four-horned goat leading the way as a symbol of the genetic problems the
electromagnetic waves emanating from the HT lines could spark.
   There was a French presence at the protest, with activists -- including
left-wing leaders from the local level -- travelling south in a show of
support. A similar demonstration took place March 1 in Perpignan, France.

AFP