Press release - February 9, 2006
NEW DELHI, India — Greenpeace activists were prevented from delivering protest bags, each an individual petition, with the message, 'France, your waste kills!' to the French embassy in India. The French Ambassador refused to accept the 1200 petitions filled with inoffensive domestic wastes. These were gathered through a public activity designed to provide hundreds of Indian citizens an opportunity to express their outrage against the French government's decision to send the Clemenceau to India without decontamination, despite the obvious threats to Indian labour and the Indian environment
Greenpeace activists along with trade union leaders protesting when prevented from delivering protest bags containing harmless domestic waste to the French Embassy in New Delhi. Also seen in the picture is PK Ganguly, secretary CITU.
"These protest bags are a symbol of the growing outrage against
the dumping of First World trash on our shores. It is ludicrous
that France has no qualms about dumping hazardous wastes in India
but will refuse to accept harmless domestic waste from Indian
citizens bearing messages to French President Jacques Chirac," said
Vinuta Gopal, Toxics campaigner, Greenpeace India. "We are
determined to deliver every single one of these packets of concern
to the President."
A coalition of trade unions, representing the interests of
unorganized migrant workers of Alang, joined Greenpeace outside the
French embassy today to protest the French double standards -
France employs the highest international safety standards in
dealing with asbestos within its own boundaries. The trade unions
condemned the arrogant position taken by France and vowed to step
up their protests in the run up to President Chirac's visit.
"The French ambassador has offered to provide health care to the
Alang workers after they have been exposed to the hazardous
substances from the Clemenceau! How dare he make the arrogant
assumption that they have the right to endanger our workers' health
in the first place?" said PK Ganguly, secretary, Center of Indian
trade Unions (CITU).
Popular opinion in France has also turned against the
government's decision; in an opinion poll of French citizens
published in the French newspaper Liberation on February 8th, 68%
of the respondents indicated that they want the Clemenceau called
back to France for decontamination, while 84% stated that hazardous
wastes generated in Europe must be processed there as well.
Greenpeace is demanding that national and international laws be
upheld and enforced, to enable the ship-breaking industry to
operate under the best environmental practices, with safe working
conditions. Greenpeace is not, and never has, campaigned against
the ship-breaking industry, or demanded its closure. Greenpeace
will welcome Clemenceau in India when the ship has been
decontaminated.
For further information, contact
Vinuta Gopal,Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner: +91 9845535418
Ramapati Kumar,Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner: +91 9845535414
Vivek Sharma,Greenpeace India Communications: +91 9343788424
