Founded in 1997 as a result of the success of the struggle against the Superphénix, the organisation regularly campaigns against the use of nuclear power in France and in the world.
In September 2007, Sortir du nucléaire declined taking part in the talks with the French government, dubbed "Grenelle de l'environnement", in which major ecological organisations participated,[1] because discussions about nuclear energy were forbidden by French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
[citation needed] On March 17, 2007 simultaneous protests, organised by Sortir du nucléaire, were staged in 5 French towns to protest construction of EPR plants; Rennes, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, and Strasbourg.
[2] The news outlet Evening Echo reported that it was a way to get the issue in the eye of candidates in the April–May two-round presidential elections of 2007.
The largest crowd was in Rennes, close to Flamanville in Normandy, where preliminary construction on the EPR is underway.