London -- The UK Government last night banned the MV Greenpeace from UK waters, a move described as draconian and anti-democratic by the international environmental organisation.
In a letter faxed to the Greenpeace vessel, the UK Government invoked the 1995 Merchant Shipping Act to ban the MV Greenpeace from all United Kingdom waters in the Irish Sea, St George's Channel, the Bristol Channel, and the English Channel, citing safety concerns.
It is believed to be the first time the Act has ever been used in this way. "This is an abuse of governmental powers to stifle debate over the plutonium industry's dangerous practices," Greenpeace campaigner Mike Townsley said from on board the MV Greenpeace. "This order from the UK Government shows that plutonium and democracy do not mix."
It is well known to the UK Government that as a maritime organisation committed to non-violence, Greenpeace does not and has never taken risks with navigation. This Act would be better used to stop the plutonium transport, as the Act's main purpose is to prevent significant pollution at sea.
"This shows how sensitive the Government is over the shipping of weapons-usable nuclear material. To suggest that the unarmed vessel of an organisation committed to non-violence is in any way a safety threat to a vessel armed with 30 mm cannon and machine gun-carrying police is a grotesque abuse of the facts."
The Pacific Pintail is also being escorted by a British navy warship, the "HMS Leeds Castle". It is currently in the Irish Sea, travelling south. British Nuclear Fuels have already obtained a further injunction from the High Court yesterday which banned the MV Greenpeace from sailing within one nautical mile of the Pacific Pintail. BNFL is currently wholly owned by the British Government.
"After exhausting every legal manoeuvre, the British nuclear industry is now using its leverage on the UK Government to enforce an abuse of the freedom of expression," Townsley said.
The MV Greenpeace is monitoring the movement of the "Pacific Pintail", one of two ships being used by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) and the French nuclear reprocessing company COGEMA to carry nuclear weapons-usable plutonium fuel from Europe to Japan.
