SchNEWS 162, Thursday 9 April 1998

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WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S YER YER HOT CROSS FUN...

FROM THE HIGH STREET TO THE HIMALAYAS EVERY WEEK

Issue 162, Thursday 9 April 1998

SHIP SHAKE!

A Canadian, German and two Belgian Greenpeace activists were last week beginning a prison sentence in Canada. The four were sentenced to 21 days and two years probation after they prevented International Forest Products clearcutting an ancient rainforest valley by locking onto machinery (the valley is home to high populations of grizzly bears and the runs of endangered coho salmon)

They had gone to the valley at the invitation of the Nuxalk First Nation hereditary chiefs and took part in a nineteen day blockade in June of last year. 14 other defendants had the same sentence suspended, whilst six more, including chiefs, will stand trial in May.

They were the first Greenpeace activists to be imprisoned since the blockage of the radioactive discharge pipeline at Sellafield ten years ago.

Meanwhile in Europe, Greenpeace have been giving Saga Wind, a ship bringing timber from the British Colombian rainforest, the runaround.

At Greenock Harbour in Scotland, four activists occupied the ship's crane.

An injunction, served after a three day stalemate, spelt out the cheeky technique activists used to occupy the ships cranes "Four men approached the vessel dressed in yellow oilskins, wearing hardhats and carrying clipboards, whereby they announced themselves to the captain of the ship as from the Department of Trade and Industry.

"The master believing the declaration true, allowed them board the vessel. They said to him they understood from information from Canada there was a potential problem with the cranes on the vessel, and that they wished to inspect those cranes. The master admitted them to ascend the crane over the hold of the vessel..."

One of the men, Al Baker from Greenpeace told SchNEWS "I hit the crane's emergency stop button. The driver came out of the cabin wondering what the hell was going on. I said "Hello, we're from Greenpeace', and walked past him and locked myself in the cabin."

And that's where the activists remained for three days and two nights preventing any unloading.

During this time, Magnet - the UK's largest buyer of British Colombian timber - agreed to stop buying anymore.

The ship next met a Greenpeace team at Antwerp, where they tried to paint slogans on the ship but were fought back with water cannons, and barges which threatened to squash them in their inflatables, against the ship.

Next stop, Brake in Germany on the 7th April where 6 more activists attempted to mount the same crane that had been occupied in Scotland. However, they were removed on the same day.

Eighty per cent of the valleys in the British Colombian temperate rainforest have already been logged, and Greenpeace are calling for a moratorium on the remaining intact valleys. The government meanwhile has announced more than 500 changes to the Forest Practices Code, many weakening environmental protection.

In the UK several smaller buyers are now using sustainably supplied wood, but Harcross and Jewson are dragging their heels, although following the crane antics have now agreed to meet Greenpeace. If they can be persuaded to pull out, the end of the UK trade is nigh, as any remaining smaller purchasers will not be enough to warrant delivery here.

Contact Greenpeace, Canonbury Villas, London, N1 2PN 0171 8658100
Good to see Magnet Kitchens getting all ethical about wood. Pity it doesn't extend to the 350 workers they sacked 19 months ago after they voted to strike over worsening conditions at work. (Don't buy their kitchens).