Press release - 26 June, 2003
Greenpeace today called for the release of the organisation's flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, being detained by authorities in Valencia, Spain since 13 June after a non-violent, peaceful protest against the importation of illegal and destructive timber. The Spanish Government demanded Greenpeace to post a bond of Euro 300,000 in order for the ship to be freed.
Valencia (Spain) Greenpeace activists from the SV Rainbow Warrior boarded today the MV Honour, which is carrying timber from forest destruction in Cameroon. The Honour was forced to anchor outside Valencia harbour.
"This bond is unjust, abusive and absurd," said Uta Bellion,
Co-ordinator of Greenpeace's forests campaign. "It appears that
this is the Spanish Government's way of stopping the protests
against the imports of timber that has been extracted from the
world's last remaining ancient forests. Meanwhile, timber continues
to enter harbours in Spain and around Europe with nothing to stop
them."
On June 13th, Greenpeace activists chained themselves to the
cargo ship Honour, which transported the contentious timber.
Because of this protest the Captain of the Rainbow Warrior, Joel
Stewart and four other activists have been ordered to pay a fine
totaling Euro 630.
However, the Spanish authorities have opened a case against the
Rainbow Warrior. "Not since the French response to Greenpeace's
protests against the nuclear tests in Muroroa, has Greenpeace seen
this kind of repression," said Joel Stewart. "The Spanish
Government should be going after the real criminals who are
destroying the world's forests and not challenging the democratic
right of peaceful protest."
Greenpeace maintains that the new European Commission Action
Plan on Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade does not
adequately reflect the severity of the illegal logging issue and
falls short on the very important point of implementing new
legislation to ban the trade in illegally harvested timber. "Spain
plays an important role in stopping the trade in illegally
harvested timber and should focus its energy and resources on
implementing proper legislations to protect the lungs of the planet
and not in persecuting people with evidence and facts," concluded
Bellion.
The destruction of the world's last ancient forests robs local
peoples of the resources needed for their survival. Greenpeace is
campaigning to protect the world's remaining ancient forests by
promoting ecologically sustainable and social responsible forest
use and the establishment of protected areas. Protected forest
areas are dedicated to the conservation of their biological
diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and
are established and managed respecting traditional land
rights-particularly those of indigenous peoples. They are protected
from road building and industrial activities.