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GREENPEACE: AUTHORITIES ENDANGER FREE SPEECH RIGHTS
Date: 031102
From: http://www.commondreams.org/
GREENPEACE CHARGES ASHCROFT, MIAMI AUTHORITIES
ENDANGER FREE SPEECH RIGHTS
October 30, 2003
Washington - Freedom of speech, the right to peaceful protest and
halting the import of illegal mahogany from the Brazilian Amazon were
the focus of a press conference held by Greenpeace today. The global
environmental group is fighting unprecedented federal criminal charges
in Miami for engaging in peaceful protest, even as it continues its
work to stop the destruction of endangered forests around the world.
The press conference also drew attention to the extreme measures that
federal and local authorities have taken recently to deny a Greenpeace
ship access to the Port of Miami and to hinder public access to that
ship.
"This case is an ominous extension of John Ashcroft's Patriot Act,"
said John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace. "If this
prosecution succeeds, non-violent civil protest - an essential
American tradition from colonial times to the civil rights movement -
may become yet another casualty of Mr. Ashcroft's attack on civil
liberties."
In April 2002, two Greenpeace activists climbed onto a commercial
ship off the coast of Florida. The activists were carrying a banner
that read, "President Bush, Stop Illegal Logging" to draw attention to
the fact that the ship was bringing illegal mahogany from the Amazon
rainforest into the United States. Criminal enterprises continue to
ravage the Amazon, using bribery, extortion, slavery, and murder.
"While the U.S. watches its borders for drugs and counterfeit Gucci
bags, no law yet exists to stop importation of most wood illegally cut
in other countries," said Scott Paul, Greenpeace's Forest Campaign
Coordinator. "We took action when our government failed to."
The individuals involved in the protest settled charges against them
last year. However, the Justice Department filed criminal charges
against Greenpeace as a corporate entity in July 2003, citing an
obscure 19th century law prohibiting unauthorized ship boarding.
Greenpeace contends that this prosecution - the first indictment of
its kind in U.S. history - is politically motivated because the
environmental group has effectively opposed Bush Administration
policies.
The Port of Miami recently refused dock space to the Greenpeace ship
M.Y. Esperanza, which arrived in Miami on October 27, on its way to
Europe after spending three months in North America. During the
Esperanza's stay in Miami, Greenpeace had planned to invite the public
on board to learn more about Greenpeace's work. However, the ship was
forced to anchor three miles out at sea, and authorities have hampered
efforts to allow media and supporters on board to visit the ship.
Alan Farago, Sierra Club Everglades Chair and a local leader in the
environmental movement in Miami, spoke in support of Greenpeace: "The
people of Miami are familiar with despotic government, and it is a
shame to be here on the occasion of our own government using excuses
to inhibit civic participation and the legitimate right to free
_expression."
- - -
For more information about the case, visit
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/trial.
Contact: Greenpeace
Nancy Hwa 202-413-8521
Steve Smith 202-321-3872
Date: 031102
From: http://www.commondreams.org/
GREENPEACE CHARGES ASHCROFT, MIAMI AUTHORITIES
ENDANGER FREE SPEECH RIGHTS
October 30, 2003
Washington - Freedom of speech, the right to peaceful protest and
halting the import of illegal mahogany from the Brazilian Amazon were
the focus of a press conference held by Greenpeace today. The global
environmental group is fighting unprecedented federal criminal charges
in Miami for engaging in peaceful protest, even as it continues its
work to stop the destruction of endangered forests around the world.
The press conference also drew attention to the extreme measures that
federal and local authorities have taken recently to deny a Greenpeace
ship access to the Port of Miami and to hinder public access to that
ship.
"This case is an ominous extension of John Ashcroft's Patriot Act,"
said John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace. "If this
prosecution succeeds, non-violent civil protest - an essential
American tradition from colonial times to the civil rights movement -
may become yet another casualty of Mr. Ashcroft's attack on civil
liberties."
In April 2002, two Greenpeace activists climbed onto a commercial
ship off the coast of Florida. The activists were carrying a banner
that read, "President Bush, Stop Illegal Logging" to draw attention to
the fact that the ship was bringing illegal mahogany from the Amazon
rainforest into the United States. Criminal enterprises continue to
ravage the Amazon, using bribery, extortion, slavery, and murder.
"While the U.S. watches its borders for drugs and counterfeit Gucci
bags, no law yet exists to stop importation of most wood illegally cut
in other countries," said Scott Paul, Greenpeace's Forest Campaign
Coordinator. "We took action when our government failed to."
The individuals involved in the protest settled charges against them
last year. However, the Justice Department filed criminal charges
against Greenpeace as a corporate entity in July 2003, citing an
obscure 19th century law prohibiting unauthorized ship boarding.
Greenpeace contends that this prosecution - the first indictment of
its kind in U.S. history - is politically motivated because the
environmental group has effectively opposed Bush Administration
policies.
The Port of Miami recently refused dock space to the Greenpeace ship
M.Y. Esperanza, which arrived in Miami on October 27, on its way to
Europe after spending three months in North America. During the
Esperanza's stay in Miami, Greenpeace had planned to invite the public
on board to learn more about Greenpeace's work. However, the ship was
forced to anchor three miles out at sea, and authorities have hampered
efforts to allow media and supporters on board to visit the ship.
Alan Farago, Sierra Club Everglades Chair and a local leader in the
environmental movement in Miami, spoke in support of Greenpeace: "The
people of Miami are familiar with despotic government, and it is a
shame to be here on the occasion of our own government using excuses
to inhibit civic participation and the legitimate right to free
_expression."
- - -
For more information about the case, visit
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/trial.
Contact: Greenpeace
Nancy Hwa 202-413-8521
Steve Smith 202-321-3872