On 17 April 2011, a human chain was formed in Mersin to protest the decision. It was planned that there would be 30 locations to form chains along the highway connecting Mersin to Akkuyu. But the participation was higher than the expected and several of these chains were merged. The east end of the chain was in Mersin midtown and it reached some west along the highway uninterrupted. Also the settlements at the west including the district centers of Silifke and Erdemli as well as Büyükeceli, the town nearest to construction site participated. "The earthquake and tsunami in Japan proved how dangerous nuclear technology is," said Sabahat Aslan, a spokesperson for the Mersin Anti-Nuclear Platform. "We organized this protest to say 'no' to nuclear power plants, which will put future generations in danger".