Supporters of the international environmental organization, Greenpeace, recreated Pablo Picasso's
The event, the largest of its scale to take place in the Miami
area,
comes as Greenpeace U.S.A faces a serious federal indictment in
South
Florida, following a protest against the importation of illegal
mahogany
from the Brazilian Amazon in April 2002. Activists boarded the
timber
ship as part of the organisations on-going campaign to save the
world's
forests from destructive logging, work that continues despite
the
extraordinary prosecution.
The federal government has levelled charges under an obscure
1872 law
originally intended to prevent "sailor-mongering"; a law only
enacted
twice since entering into force, most recently in 1890. The
indictment
clearly demonstrates the Bush administration's desire to
silence
Greenpeace, long a vocal critic of the administration and some
of its
policies.
"This is a chance for the people of Miami to show their support
for
Greenpeace, and to creatively protest the Bush administration's
decision
to silence its critics," said Ginger Cassady, Greenpeace
campaigner in
Miami. "The hundreds of people gathered here today represent the
desire
of people all across the world who are willing to take a stand
for the
world's forests and for the right of citizens and Greenpeace
alike to
peacefully protest," affirmed Cassady.
Many high profile groups and individuals have condemned the
prosecution
and are supporting the Greenpeace campaign against the
continuing
destruction of our endangered forests, and the increasing
erosion of the
American public's endangered freedoms; including the American
Civil
Liberties Union, the National Resource Defense Council and
former vice
president Al Gore