This week has been a tremendous week for the Arctic 30, 28 international activists and two independent journalists who have been detained on piracy and hooliganism charges in Russia following a peaceful protest against Arctic oil drilling by Gazprom. Most of the detained have now been released on bail with the perplexing exception of Australian Colin Russell, the Arctic Sunrises radio operator.
Take action now to release the Arctic 30 from unjust charges
However, freed on bail does not mean the charges of piracy and hooliganism have been dropped. These individuals could still face up to 22 years in prison if convicted of crimes they did not commit.
While much of the news that has come out of the case in recent weeks has been disappointing with detainment extensions and additional charges, it has been exciting to watch support pour in from world famous celebrities and activists who, lets face it, often boast a much larger social media following than ours.
Heres a list of the ones we found most brag-worthy.
18. Yoko Ono tweeted support for Dima, one of the Americans in the Arctic 30.
17. Madonna posted about the Arctic 30 to her Facebook followers.
16.Paul Rusesebagina- The Rwandan hotel manager who protected1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees and was the inspiration for the filmHotel Rwanda.
15. Actor and musician Jared Leto supporting the campaign on Twitter.
14. Comedian Simon Pegg also has a friend in the Arctic 30 group and tweeted about his personal connection with the situation.
13. Actress and activist Daryl Hannah co-authored a blog about freeing the Arctic 30 and freeing the world from fossil fuels with Greenpeace US’s Executive Director
12. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and12 Nobel Prize laureates includingLiberian peace campaigner Leymah Gbowee,Former President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias Sanchez andNorthern Irish peace activist Mairead Maguire sent a letter to President Putin requesting the release of the Arctic 30.
11. Edward Norton’s first rule of the Arctic 30. Talk about the Arctic 30.
10. Portugal the Man played a free concert for an Arctic 30 solidarity next to Greenpeace’s the Rainbow Warriow while she visited San Francisco. Watch the livestream of the concert here.
9. Comedian and actor Russell Brand tweeted support for the Arctic 30
8. Musician and frontman for Atoms for Peace and Radiohead Thom Yorke has consistently shown support for the Arctic 30 caseand for Greenpeace’s campaign to save the Arctic for oil drilling and climate change impacts.
7. Actress Juliette Lewis RTed support for the Arctic 30
6. Actress Lucy Lawless not only climbed a rig in the Arctic, but has continuously promoted support for the Arctic campaign and the release of the Arctic 30.
5. Politician Aung San Suu Kyi
4. Actor Jude Law and friend of one of the Arctic 30 activists joined a protest outside the Russian Embassy in London
3. Comedian, writer, actor, director and activist Stephen Fry RTed support for the Arctic 30.
2. Actress Marion Collitard showed her support for the ‘Arctic 30’ by spending time in a mock cell in central Paris, France
1. Sir Paul McCartney and the world famous Beatle sent a letter to President Putin requesting the immediate release of the Arctic 30.
