Greenpeace Piracy wins Noble Laureates’ Support

Greenpeace again has pushed the boundaries on eco-protesting. Greenpeace is no stranger to internationial environmental controversy.  In 1985 the French bombing of the Rainbow Warrior brought Greenpeace into the international limelight.

Greepeace Activists protesting Arctic Sea drilling now sit in jail in Russia, facing charges of piracy.

Eleven noble laureates have signed a letter to Vladimir Putin asking for these charges to be dropped.

Milena Sterio argues that the piracy charges could be valid from a strictly legal perspective.

This demonization of environmental activists is akin to prosecution of activists in the USA on terrorism charges.  In 2002 the FBI detailed the threat of eco-terrorism from organizations such as the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front (a split off from Earth First!) to the U.S. Congress.  Justin Solondz, of “the Family” in the Pacific Northwest affiliates of ALF and ELF was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for arson.   ELF is chronicled in the documentary, If a Tree Falls.

Brasilian Greenpeace Activist in Russian Jail

Of course, the Sea Shepherd’s Conservation Society is the pre-eminent sea-faring eco-terrorist group.  This group is famous for sinking whaling ships and combating the slaughter of baby seals.