Greenpeace at their Best

Personally, I think the island of St. Kitts should have held these loving activists for as long as possible.

Newsflash: Greenpeace International has violated a code-of-conduct that it and ten other non-government organizations (NGOs) signed just 22 days ago. I am shocked and awed.

The much-touted Accountability Charter states that the NGO signatories “will take all possible steps to ensure that there are no links with organizations, or persons involved in illegal or unethical practices.” Nice words. But for the 39,129 citizens of the sovereign Caribbean Island Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, these words must be ringing a bit hollow.

According to government press statements and news reports, on June 20, 2006, a Greenpeace vessel, the MV Arctic Sunrise, violated the Federation’s territorial waters, illegally offloaded passengers and defied law enforcement officials by refusing to accompany them to police headquarters. Ten members of the invasion force were arrested; six of them spent the night in jail awaiting cash from Greenpeace to pay their fines. The captain and crew of the mother ship apparently abandoned their comrades and sailed off in the direction of St. Eustatius.

The apparent objective of the Greenpeace expeditionary force was to disrupt a meeting of the International Whaling Commission hosted by St. Kitts. Their defense lawyer told the local magistrate that the activists had not intended to cause trouble on the island—only to engage in non-violent protest. Federation officials had a different opinion; they issued a National Security release charging that Greenpeace had shown total disregard and disrespect for the Government “in utter contempt of its sovereign status.” The Federation’s release also noted that the Greenpeace vessel’s illegal maneuvers had threatened the marine environment, “jeopardizing the barrier reef which protects the Eastern Atlantic Coastline of St. Kitts and Nevis and other fragile near-shore marine eco-systems.”

I wonder why I find the claim that they didn't intend to cause trouble as a complete lie?