Nuclear Science and Environment Conference

Jean-Pierre Petit speaking at the
Festival Sciences Frontière 2003

April 2004

A reader pointed out the existence of a video recording of a lecture I gave at the Sciences Frontière Festival in Cavaillon, at the end of January 2003, dedicated to "the Earth's wrath."

That festival was rather dull. Jean-Yves Casgha had invited Corinne Lepage, minister or former minister of the environment (I can't quite remember which). There was also a woman who had previously been a nuclear specialist but had become editor-in-chief of a newspaper (&&& a reader who attended the festival will soon provide us with all these details). The presentations revolved around various risks and dangers. There was a lot of empty talk. I found it curious that Jean-Yves Casgha didn't include me in the final roundtable discussion, as I had quite a lot to say about clandestine underground nuclear tests conducted in France. It should be noted that he was the one who first identified Gardanne as a possible site, emphasizing suspicious seismic signatures. Yet later, I never saw him mobilize or urge his journalist colleagues to attend either of the defamation trial hearings I faced—first instance and appeal—where I was ultimately condemned by Giudicelli.

Returning to that roundtable session at the end of the 2003 festival, the overall impression was utterly dismal. Speeches drifted into trivial topics: automobile risks, health risks related to smoking, etc. The minister answered questions with solemnity. As an ordinary audience member, I raised my hand and was handed a microphone. I then spoke about the issues that had been troubling us for 18 months—the possibility of clandestine nuclear experiments in France. The newspaper editor-in-chief responded that such stealth techniques were not yet mastered and she strongly doubted such things could even exist in the world. After only a short time, as the tension rose slightly, the microphone passer approached to reclaim it, saying, "There may be other questions in the room." That's what they do when someone "monopolizes the floor and prevents others in the audience from speaking." When I saw this, I stood up and left. I ran into Jean-Yves Casgha, who was chatting with someone in the hall. Apparently, he had stepped out just as the debate began.

The audience reacted strongly, and people went after me to ask me to return to the conference room. The confrontation then continued between me and the roundtable's VIPs.

It should be noted that at the end of my presentation, I issued a call for membership in the Don Quichotte association, which was in the process of being formed. At that time, I still believed it might yield something. But we must conclude that this effort was a complete failure, due entirely to the lack of coordination among the leadership team. At the same time, I was being condemned for defamation, in favor of my opponent, Giudicelli, former deputy director of military applications at the CEA and former director of the Marcoule nuclear center.

With that said, click on this link to access the video.

http://www.01pixel.com:8080/ramgen/petit_sf2003.rm

Sometimes it's hard to download this video—it doesn't always work. Nevertheless, the address for these "Sciences Frontière" archives is correct.

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