Four Greenpeace volunteers today ended their vigil occupying the MV Enif at London's Tilbury docks in the face of a legal injunction from the owners of the ship. The volunteers were immediately arrested by police after climbing down from the top of a crane. The 75 hour vigil was the longest in the history of Greenpeace in the UK and was partt of a global campaign to stop the traffic in criminal timber from the Amazon rainforest. The volunteers are demanding that the ship's cargo of criminal rainforest plywood is returned to the Amazon.
Greenpeace Campaign Director John Sauven said:
"After 75 hours perched on top of a ship's crane, four Greenpeace volunteers have been forced down by a court injunction. The shipping company dealing in criminal Amazon timber has run to the courts rather than facing up to its environmental responsibilities. Greenpeace is determined to continue its campaign to protect the Amazon and stop this international trade in rainforest destruction. These ships can't hide behind injunctions forever and we are determined to expose them as well as the UK companies who are dealing in this criminal timber trade. The Government must also accept its responsibilities - they have promised to stop the trade in illegal and destructive timber and it's time they acted."
Three Greenpeace volunteers were also arrested this morning when police boarded the Greenpeace vessel Beluga as it lay alongside the MV Enif. Ironically, one volunteer was arrested for criminal damage for daubing a small amount of white paint on the side of the MV Enif despite the fact that the ship contains 1700 tonnes of criminal timber from the Amazon. Greenpeace was attempting to rename the ship 'Amazon Crime'.
John Sauven continued:
"It's laughable that a Greenpeace volunteer should be arrested for criminal damage when the MV Enif contains 1700 tonnes of criminal timber taken from the Amazon - this criminal timber trade is destroying one of the finest rainforests in the world. It's obvious who is really guilty of criminal damage in this case, and it isn't one volunteer with a paintbrush."
Every month hundreds of tonnes of plywood from the Amazon comes into the UK. The Brazilian Government has said that 80% of all wood logged in the Amazon is taken illegally. WTK, the Malaysian multinational behind these timber imports is one of the world's biggest rainforest destroyers. The company has convictions, along with its third party log suppliers, for trading in illegal logs from the Amazon. WTK is also threatening to cut down forests on land belonging to Amazon Indians.
Notes for editors:
Six volunteers originally occupied the MV Enif while it was travelling through the Thames Estuary at 11.30am, Tuesday 20 June, 2000. Two came down from the crane on Wednesday, 21 June and were charged with activities contrary to Section 12(1) (6) of the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 while the other four came down on the afternoon of Friday, 23 June in response to an injunction from the owners of the ship.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255
