ACTIVISTS ARRESTED AFTER 10-DAY RAINFOREST BLOCKADE

Protestors taken to jail - awaiting court over the weekend

Vancouver, B.C. Canada - 30 May 1997

Four Greenpeace activists from Canada, Germany and Austria have been arrested after 10 days of protesting the destruction of British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest.

The activists were arrested at the corporate headquarters of Western Forest Products in downtown Vancouver. They moved the blockade directly from the site of Western's clearcut logging operation on Roderick Island in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. The activists held a banner that read "Western Forest Products, help us save the Great Bear Rainforest."

The city blockade came after 10 days of successfully stopping the clearcutting of the rainforest. Western estimated in court that the activists were stopping the felling of 1000 trees per day.

"Our fight is not with the courts or the workers," said Tzeporah Berman, Greenpeace forest campaigner, "We came to the company office to confront the decision makers of a company hell bent on destroying one of the world's last great rainforest for it's own benefit."

The B.C. government has responded to Greenpeace's concern by saying we should participate in the land use planning process. "All environmental groups are boycotting the sham planning process - the government has already made the decision that only 12% of the area will be protected no matter what the ecology dictates, and how many species this will put at risk. We welcome an open discussion with all stakeholders about what is really necessary for this rainforest, but we won't be part of a talk and log process whose sole purpose is public relations" said Karen Mahon of Greenpeace.

The activists arrested and charged with 'assault by trespass' were Patricia Fromm and Dieter Ebernaur of Germany, Mario Rautner of Austria and Maxine Tang of Canada. The activists are being held in jail awaiting a court appearance over the weekend.