The Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace's flagship, will be visiting the UK later this month.
The 55-metre vessel, one of the most famous ships in the world because of her environmental campaigns, will arrive in London on the 20 October as part of Greenpeace's ‘Give Coal the Boot' campaign.
She will then be visiting Kent, where the first coal power station for a generation is being planned at Kingsnorth, and welcoming onboard the heads of groups such as Oxfam, the Women's Institute and Tearfund.
These groups, whose combined membership numbers millions, will show their opposition to plans for coal power stations like the one proposed by Eon for Kingsnorth.
The Rainbow Warrior will then be welcoming visitors for a guided tour at Southend pier in Essex on Saturday the 25 and Sunday the 26 October. The tour is free, and will offer everyone a chance to learn more about the ship and about the campaign to ‘Give Coal the Boot'. (1)
Joss Garman of Greenpeace said: "There's a huge coalition building against planned coal plants, and they'll be joining the Rainbow Warrior to help give coal the boot.
"Faith groups, development groups, politicians of all shades, scientists and thousands of ordinary people are standing up and saying no to new coal."
Last month, ministers suffered a blow to their energy plans as six Greenpeace volunteers were acquitted of criminal damage by a Crown Court jury in a case that centred on the contribution made to climate change by burning coal.
The charges arose after the six attempted to shut down the Kingsnorth coal-fired power station in Kent last year by scaling the chimney and painting the Prime Minister's name down the side. The defendants pleaded ‘not guilty' and relied in court on the defence of ‘lawful excuse' - claiming they shut the power station in order to defend property of a greater value from the global impact of climate change.
Greenpeace press office: 020 7865 8255.
NOTES:
(1) Please register online to join a guided tour here. As a working ship, the Rainbow Warrior has some steep steps and narrow passageways, so unfortunately pushchairs, wheelchairs and dogs will not be allowed on board. But, although those people with limited mobility may not be able to get a full tour, they can of course see the ship and talk to the crew.
For more information on the Rainbow Warrior, go to http://www.greenpeace.org/international/about/ships/the-rainbow-warrior.
