Germany had its first taste today of an expected four days of demonstrations as it prepared to receive a controversial nuclear waste shipment from France.
Police, who have mobilised 15,000 officers to protect the shipment, said aircraft would be banned from flying low over the route to free airspace for their own helicopters.
"It has nothing to do in this case with terrorist attacks," a police spokeswoman said, when asked if the move was a response to the September 11 attacks in the United States, which led to security at German nuclear sites being increased.
The shipment by rail of six containers of German waste is not due to leave the reprocessing plant at La Hague, France, until late tonight but has already attracted demonstrators to Gorleben, northern Germany, where it is eventually to be stored.
Farmers accompanied by around 2,000 protesters used more than 200 tractors to block roads around Dannenberg, where the containers are due on Tuesday or Wednesday to be transferred to lorries for the final 20 km (12 miles) of their journey.
"We want to show that we are not prepared to take this sitting down, but we know that once again we will not be able to stop the containers," said Hans-Werner Zachow, a spokesman for the farmers.