Freedom of speech, the right to peaceful protest and
halting the import of illegal mahogany from the Brazilian Amazon
were the focus of a press conference held by Greenpeace today. The
global environmental group is fighting unprecedented federal
criminal charges in Miami for engaging in peaceful protest, even as
it continues its work to stop the destruction of endangered forests
around the world. The press conference also drew attention to the
extreme measures that federal and local authorities have taken
recently to deny a Greenpeace ship access to the Port of Miami and
to hinder public access to that ship.
“This case is an ominous extension of John Ashcroft’s Patriot
Act,” said John
Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace. “If this
prosecution succeeds, non-violent civil protest — an essential
American tradition from colonial times to the civil rights movement
— may become yet another casualty of Mr. Ashcroft’s attack on
civil liberties.”
In April 2002, two Greenpeace activists climbed onto a
commercial ship off the coast of Florida. The activists were
carrying a banner that read, “President Bush, Stop Illegal Logging”
to draw attention to the fact that the ship was bringing illegal
mahogany from the Amazon rainforest into the United States.
Criminal enterprises continue to ravage the Amazon, using bribery,
extortion, slavery, and murder.
“While the U.S. watches its borders for drugs and counterfeit
Gucci bags, no law yet exists to stop importation of most wood
illegally cut in other countries,” said Scott Paul, Greenpeace’s
Forest Campaign Coordinator. “We took action when our government
failed to.”
The individuals involved in the protest settled charges against
them last year. However, the Justice Department filed criminal
charges against Greenpeace as a corporate entity in July 2003,
citing an obscure 19th century law prohibiting unauthorized ship
boarding. Greenpeace contends that this prosecution — the first
indictment of its kind in U.S. history — is politically motivated
because the environmental group has effectively opposed Bush
Administration policies.
The Port of Miami recently refused dock space to the Greenpeace
ship M.Y.
Esperanza, which arrived in Miami on October 27, on its way to
Europe after
spending three months in North America. During the Esperanza’s
stay in Miami, Greenpeace had planned to invite the public on board
to learn more about Greenpeace’s work. However, the ship was forced
to anchor three miles out at sea, and authorities have hampered
efforts to allow media and supporters on board to visit the
ship.
Alan Farago, Sierra Club Everglades Chair and a local leader in
the environmental movement in Miami, spoke in support of
Greenpeace: “The people of Miami are familiar with despotic
government, and it is a shame to be here on the occasion of our own
government using excuses to inhibit civic participation and the
legitimate right to free expression.”
