Greenpeace /recent media coverage14th September


Date:Thursday 14th September 1995
To: all our supporters out there in cyberspace
From: Greenpeace anti nuclear campaigners everywhere

There have been some strong criticisms of Greenpeace's Moruroa campaign in the media today.
We would like you to know:

  • We entirely support the actions of our team on the boats in Moruroa. As all of you know they did a great job under extremely difficult circumstances. Out there, on the exclusion zone surrounding Moruroa, the Rainbow Warrior and the MV Greenpeace did what they could to challenge the tests. Ultimately, Greenpeace leaves the final decisions of an action to our people on the boats -- they are there, where the action is, and it's their decision as to what they do. They are the ones taking the risks -- and we all know what risks they took to try to stop the tests.
  • The MV Greenpeace and Rainbow Warrior are now being held, with no legal basis, by the French Military at Hao Atoll. Greenpeace is challenging the initial boarding of the Greenpeace in International waters -- we are taking that case to the French courts. The damage to both boats and their incarceration is completely illegal (just as the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985 was illegal). We are calling for the immediate release of these boats. We ask you to do the same!
  • It is clear that the French Military wanted both our vessels out of the way before they carried out their first nuclear test. Whether they would have boarded and seized the MV Greenpeace if a helicopter had not been launched is something we will never know. But now that they have them, the campaign is not over! Far from it.
  • Greenpeace's campaign against French testing is only part of a huge international campaign to stop Jacques Chirac from continuing with the madness of his nuclear warfare programme.
  • - the New Zealand Government is taking France to the International Court of Justice to try to stop them from testing. Other governments: Western Samoa, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Australia, have signed onto the court case with New Zealand.
  • - the European foreign Ministers meeting at the weekend strongly criticised the French nuclear testing programme.
  • - The European Commission is sending a scientific mission to the South Pacific and has demanded that France does not test until the findings of this mission have been reported. They are taking this action under the terms of the 1957 Euratom Treaty.
  • - South Pacific leaders have today strongly criticised French testing.

    The campaign has grown to be a global one and millions of people are united against French tests. Greenpeace will continue to campaign strongly and we thank all those people who signed on to the Greenpeace petition against French testing. As you may know, we tried to deliver these petitions to Jacques Chirac at the Elysee Palace -- but they refused to take them and actually arrested 100 peaceful protestors trying to deliver them! The French Government clearly doesn't want to listen to the world's opinion against testing.

  • The question of whether our boats did the right or the wrong thing is something that Greenpeace will look at much later -- after we have finished our campaign. Some people within Greenpeace have criticised our actions through the press. Greenpeace is full of people with strong opinions (which is not exactly surprising!). But we always carry out an evaluation after a campaign is over -- and that is where all of this will be sorted out. BUT THIS CAMPAIGN HAS NOT FINISHED!! Nowhere near it.

    KEEP UP YOUR PROTEST; WE'LL KEEP UP OURS AND TOGETHER WE'LL STOP THIS NUCLEAR NIGHTMARE!