Greenpeace, October 1, 2013
On September 18, a small group of Greenpeace International activists approached the Gazprom Prirazlomnaya oil platform, in the Pechora Sea off the Russian coast, to engage in a peaceful protest of Arctic oil drilling. Two activists were detained and held overnight on a Russian Coast Guard vessel.
The following day, September 19, the Russian Coast Guard illegally boarded the Greenpeace International ship Arctic Sunrise while in international waters. All 30 members of the crew were held under armed guard for 5 days as the ship was towed to the port of Murmansk. Upon arrival, the activists were taken from the ship and held by authorities on land.
On September 26, the 30 activists appeared at a preliminary court hearing in Murmansk, where most activists were remanded in custody for two months, facing investigation for possible piracy. We are demanding the immediate release of all activists, our ship, and an end to offshore oil drilling in the Arctic for good.
Join us in solidarity to #FreeTheArctic30:
In Toronto at Nuit Blanche on Saturday October 5th from 7PM – 11PM for a peaceful act of solidarity in support of the Arctic 30. RSVP here
In Montreal at the MEGAPHONE event on Saturday October 5th at 7PM to talk about the consequences of our dependence on oil as well as pass on a message of solidarity to the Arctic 30. RSVP here
If you're not in Toronto or Montreal – you can:
- Send the Russian embassy an email: http://www.greenpeace.org/freeouractivists
- Share the petition on Facebook
- Join the Volunteer Arctic 30 Rapid Response Team – Email Amanda Gomm to find out more (must have availability in the next 3 weeks)
- Write a message of support for the Arctic 30 or print one, take a picture of yourself with the message and post it on Twitter using the hashtag #FreeTheArctic30. Here are some examples of people showing their support for the Arctic 30, join them