Close
Contact Us
Help
Login
Register
0
Selected
Invert selection
Deselect all
Deselect all
Click here to refresh results
Click here to refresh results
Go to Login page
Hide details
Your browser does not support this video.
Copy video URL
Copy video URL at current time
https://media.greenpeace.org/asset-management/27MAKV2RVY7
Add to lightbox
Add to cart
Get link
Keywords
Disarmament
Greenpeace activists
Hot Air Balloon Trinity
Hot air balloons
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
Nuclear weapons testing
People
Warsaw Pact
Weapons
Berlin Balloon 30 Years Anniversary News Access
Berlin / Hamburg; 27.8.2013: 30 years ago (on 28th August 1983) two Greenpeace activists floated over the Berlin Wall to the former GDR (German Democratic Republic) with a hot air balloon (the route of the balloon: http://gpurl.de/KarteBallon1983) to protest against nuclear weapons tests and for disarmament. The divided Berlin was the only location for such a cross-border protest. Four out of five nations (except for China) that tested nuclear weapons at that time could be reached hereby at the same time: The USA, Russia, Great Britain and France. Meanwhile an extensive test stop contract exists. But it has not been put into action until today because the USA and China, amongst others, have not ratified yet.
The two activists that were in the balloon then were John Sprange and Gerd Leipold. After their landing in the former GDR they were interrogated by the State Security (Stasi) but released shortly after. “I wasn’t afraid but it was a very queasy feeling to float over this usually impassable border” remembers Gerd Leipold. “The action made it clear to me that borders are manmade and not naturally given. Radioactivity also doesn’t respect borders.” The State security of the former GDR wrote hundreds of pages about Greenpeace and the two balloonists after the action. After the fall of the Berlin Wall the activists demanded their files. The confiscated balloon was given back to Greenpeace only five years after the action. For storage and transport the GDR charged the environmentalists with a fee of 8.523 Westmark. Greenpeace has now published the documents of the Stasi online: http://gpurl.de/MfS-Ballon-83 Today there are still about 17.000 nuclear warheads. Since the mid 1980’s the amount of nuclear weapons worldwide has decreased from 70.000 to round about 17.000 nuclear warheads. The arsenal of ready for use nuclear warheads in the short term is estimated 4.500. The so-called disarmament is more or less a modernisation of nuclear arsenals. Furthermore new nuclear nations alarmingly rearm. Greenpeace therefore asks the international community to stop the spread of nuclear technology and the phasing out of nuclear energy. Nuclear power plants (npp) are the basis for nuclear weapons. With the same technology that is used to enrich uranium for npp’s; material can be produced that is suitable for weapons as well. Besides the five official nuclear nations (USA; Russia; Great Britain; France and China) already four more states dispose of nuclear weapons: Israel; India;
Pakistan and North Korea.
Footage shows Gerd Leipold and John Sprange with a few press people and Greenpeace Collgegues (Brigitte Behrens, executive director of Greenpeace Germany, Patric Salize, Pressesprecher) at the place where they started off with the balloon.
Statement: Gerd Leipold, former executive director of Greenpeace Germany and commissionary Director of Greenpeace International
In original language:
30. Jahrestag des Überflugs über die Berliner Mauer mit Greenpeace-Ballon `Trinity´ - News Access
Berlin / Hamburg: 27. 8. 2013 – Aus Protest gegen Atombombentests und für nukleare Abrüstung sind zwei Greenpeace-Aktivisten vor 30 Jahren (28. 8. 1983) mit einem Heißluftballon über die Berliner Mauer in die damalige DDR geschwebt (die Flugbahn des Ballons: http://gpurl.de/KarteBallon1983). Das geteilte Berlin war der einzige Ort für einen solchen grenzüberschreitenden Protest. Vier der fünf Nationen (mit Ausnahme von China); die zu der Zeit Atomwaffen testeten; konnten hier gleichzeitig erreicht werden: die USA; Russland; Großbritannien und Frankreich. Mittlerweile gibt es einen umfangreichen Teststoppvertrag. Dieser ist jedoch bis heute nicht in Kraft getreten; da unter anderem die USA und China den Vertrag noch nicht ratifiziert haben. „Atombomben bedrohen die Welt heute wie damals“; sagt Brigitte Behrens; Geschäftsführerin von Greenpeace in Deutschland. „Wir müssen es schaffen; die Ausbreitung dieser gefährlichen Waffe zu verhindern. Das geht nur; wenn wir die Nutzung der Atomkraft weltweit stoppen.“ Die zwei Aktivisten; die damals im Ballon saßen; waren John Sprange und Gerd Leipold. Nach ihrer Landung in der DDR wurden sie von der Staatssicherheit vernommen; jedoch kurz danach wieder freigelassen. „Angst hatte ich nicht; doch es war schon ein sehr mulmiges Gefühl; einfach über diese sonst unüberwindbare Grenze zu schweben“; erinnert sich Gerd Leipold. „Die Aktion hat mir klar gemacht; dass Grenzen von Menschen gemacht und nicht naturgegeben sind. Auch Radioaktivität macht vor ihnen nicht halt.“ Die Staatssicherheit der damaligen DDR hat nach der Aktion hunderte Seiten über Greenpeace und die beiden Ballonpiloten verfasst. Nach der Wende haben die Aktivisten ihre Akten angefordert. Der beschlagnahmte Ballon wurde erst fünf Jahre nach der Aktion wieder an Greenpeace zurückgegeben. Für Lagerung und Transport berechnete die DDR den Umweltschützern eine Gebühr von 8.523 Westmark. Die Dokumente der Staatssicherheit hat Greenpeace nun online veröffentlicht: http://gpurl.de/MfS-Ballon-83. Heute gibt es weltweit noch rund 17.000 Atomsprengköpfe. Seit Mitte der 1980er Jahre ist die Zahl der Atomwaffen weltweit von 70.000 auf etwa 17.000 Atomsprengköpfe zurückgegangen. Das Arsenal der kurzfristig einsatzbereiten Sprengköpfe wird auf 4.500 geschätzt. Die sogenannte Abrüstung ist eher eine Modernisierung der Atomwaffenarsenale. Zudem rüsten neue Atomnationen besorgniserregend auf. Deshalb fordert Greenpeace die internationale Gemeinschaft auf; die Verbreitung von Atomtechnologie zu stoppen und weltweit aus der Atomkraft auszusteigen. Atomkraftwerke sind die technologische Basis für Kernwaffen. Mit der gleichen Technik; mit der Uran für Kraftwerke angereichert wird; kann auch waffenfähiges Material hergestellt werden. Heute verfügen neben den fünf offiziellen Atommächten (USA; Russland; Großbritannien; Frankreich und China) bereits vier weitere Staaten über Atomwaffen: Israel; Indien; Pakistan und Nordkorea.
Das Material zeigt, Gerd Leipold und John Sprange mit einigen Journalisten und Kollegen von Greenpeace Deutschland (Brigitte Behrens, Geschäftsführerin von Greenpeace Deutschland, Patric Salize, Pressesprecher) an dem Ort, von wo sie seinerzeit den Ballon starteten.
Unique identifier:
GP37ZJ
Type:
Video
Shoot date:
27/08/2013
Locations:
Berlin
,
Europe
,
Germany
Credit line:
© Greenpeace
Duration:
8m40s
Audio format:
Natural
Ranking:
★★★★ (E)
Containers
Shoot:
BERLIN BALLOON - 30 YEARS ANNIVERSARY - NEWS ACCESS
Berlin / Hamburg; 27.8.2013: 30 years ago (on 28th August 1983) two Greenpeace activists floated over the Berlin Wall to the former GDR (German Democratic Republic) with a hot air balloon (the route of the balloon: http://gpurl.de/KarteBallon1983) to protest against nuclear weapons tests and for disarmament. The divided Berlin was the only location for such a cross-border protest. Four out of five nations (except for China) that tested nuclear weapons at that time could be reached hereby at the same time: The USA, Russia, Great Britain and France. Meanwhile an extensive test stop contract exists. But it has not been put into action until today because the USA and China, amongst others, have not ratified yet.
The two activists that were in the balloon then were John Sprange and Gerd Leipold. After their landing in the former GDR they were interrogated by the State Security (Stasi) but released shortly after. “I wasn’t afraid but it was a very queasy feeling to float over this usually impassable border” remembers Gerd Leipold. “The action made it clear to me that borders are manmade and not naturally given. Radioactivity also doesn’t respect borders.” The State security of the former GDR wrote hundreds of pages about Greenpeace and the two balloonists after the action. After the fall of the Berlin Wall the activists demanded their files. The confiscated balloon was given back to Greenpeace only five years after the action. For storage and transport the GDR charged the environmentalists with a fee of 8.523 Westmark. Greenpeace has now published the documents of the Stasi online: http://gpurl.de/MfS-Ballon-83 Today there are still about 17.000 nuclear warheads. Since the mid 1980’s the amount of nuclear weapons worldwide has decreased from 70.000 to round about 17.000 nuclear warheads. The arsenal of ready for use nuclear warheads in the short term is estimated 4.500. The so-called disarmament is more or less a modernisation of nuclear arsenals. Furthermore new nuclear nations alarmingly rearm. Greenpeace therefore asks the international community to stop the spread of nuclear technology and the phasing out of nuclear energy. Nuclear power plants (npp) are the basis for nuclear weapons. With the same technology that is used to enrich uranium for npp’s; material can be produced that is suitable for weapons as well. Besides the five official nuclear nations (USA; Russia; Great Britain; France and China) already four more states dispose of nuclear weapons: Israel; India;
Pakistan and North Korea.
Footage shows Gerd Leipold and John Sprange with a few press people and Greenpeace Collgegues (Brigitte Behrens, executive director of Greenpeace Germany, Patric Salize, Pressesprecher) at the place where they started off with the balloon.
Statement: Gerd Leipold, former executive director of Greenpeace Germany and commissionary Director of Greenpeace International
Conceptually similar