Fight to save the whales. Can the green peace be saved himself?

Greenpeace is among the most famous environmental organizations in the world, as a result of more than 50 years of protest tactics.

Activists faced whale hunting ships on the high seas. They have suspended banners from Eiffel Tower. They occupied oil platforms. An activist (fictional) even with Greenpeace sailed in an episode of “Seinfeld”, hoping to pick up Eileen’s heart.

Now, the presence of the Greenpeace itself is threatened: The lawsuit seeks to at least $ 300 million In damage. Greenpeace said that such a loss in court can force it to close its American offices. In the coming days, the jury is expected to issue its ruling.

The lawsuit has exceeded the role of green peace in the protests a decade ago against a pipeline Near the Sioux Standing Rock Reserve In Northern Dakota. Greenpeace, the owner of the pipeline, says that Greenpeace has enabled illegal attacks on the project and led a “vast and malicious advertising campaign” that costs the company’s funds.

Greenpeace says it has played a simple peaceful role in the indigenous protest, and that the real goal of the lawsuit is to reduce freedom of expression not only in the organization, but also throughout America, by raising the specter of expensive battles.

The lawsuit comes at a time of tremendous challenges for the entire environmental movement. Climate change makes storms, floods and forest fires more frequent and more dangerous. The Trump administration has started a historical effort to cancel contracts of environmental protection. Many of the achievements of the most important movement over the past half century are at risk.

In recent years, the possible costs have already increased.

International Center for Law Non -profit for him Follow a wave of bills Since 2017, he suggested that the penalties be tightened. Many became law in the wake of demonstrations against the pipeline in the midst of the green peace issue (the pipeline of Dakota) as well as the Black Lives Matter, which rose to the lead after the killing of George Floyd in 2020 by a police officer in Minnesota. Recently, the Trump administration has moved To deport international students Those who protested the war in Gaza.

Sushma Raman, the temporary executive director of Greenpeace USA, described the trial in Northern Dakota as a “decisive test for the future of the first amendment.”

Energy transfer, one of the largest pipeline companies in the country, said the lawsuit has exceeded illegal behavior, not freedom of expression. “The matter is related to them, they do not follow the law,” the company said in a statement.

Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver in 1971, and was very successful early in what is now called the “brand”, with its attractive name and exciting works. But she also faced great challenges: internal fighting, error, legal battles and questions about how to expand its base and remain relevant because it has become an institution.

The largest environmental movement has grown, but it has also struggled to get attention in the increasingly broken media scene, and since it is central to the issue of climate change, which could be less concrete than the previous goals of the activity, such as the opposition saying in scoring or digging oil in specific places.

“Make it a green peace!” Said Frank Zelco, a professor of history at the University of Hawaii at Manua and author of the book “Make it a green peace!”

Greenpeace was founded as a branch of Sierra, based on the principles of the environment and anti -threshold. But getting out of the bold exciting works in the pursuit of these principles, while working as a global professional network, has always been a precise, accurate actual.

After friction and fighting to control the organization in the late 1970s, Greenpeace International was created in the Netherlands as a major office, and the coordination of independent green peace offices around the world, including Greenpece USA.

The activities of its American branch in the case center. Greenpeace International says her role was limited to signing an open speech. Greenpeace International has also divided the energy transport in the Netherlands, Seek to recover its legal costs under European laws This allows it mainly to challenge the energy transfer suit as a form of harassment.

At the Washington office in Greenpeace, the energy transport issue in turmoil has contributed to the highest levels of the group.

In early 2023, the organization Celebrate the appointment From Ebony Twilley Martin as a single executive director, Mrs. Twilley Martin described the first black woman to be the only director of the American Non -profit environment. But she left this role after only 16 months, a development that said two people familiar with the matter that was partially on disputes over whether they would agree to a settlement with the transfer of energy.

He was born in the disturbances in the 1960s

Greenpeace was born from a moment of fear and turmoil, amid the Vietnam war, nuclear armament race, acid rain and smoky fog. Rex Wyler, 77, an early member, accelerated history in his book “Greenpeace: Greenpeace:” How did you change a group of environmental scientists, journalists and world visions. “

In Vancouver, Mr. Wheeler Bob Hunter, a column writer at Vancouver Sun, Dorothy and Irfing Sto, and the elderly of the Cukeers who left the United States to protest war taxes and weapons test. They were meeting with similar people in thinking who saw a need for an environment movement that would use direct non -violent measures, following examples of Mohandas K. GandHi in India and the civil rights movement in the United States.

They will soon become a branch of a more traditional environmental group, Sierra Club, after a dispute over the protest tactics.

Their first campaign was important to prevent American nuclear weapons tests on Amchitka, a volcanic island in Alaska. An idea that floats this group inside Sierra Club A boat was reported to stop the bomb – in Vancouver Sun, although the main office of Sierra in San Francisco did not agree to this plan.

“The Sierra club was not amusing when they saw this story, because they said,” as you know, that many of our members are just brave, and they do not care about nuclear disarmament. “” If Sierra agreed to do so, it may not have been possible to establish Greenpeace “.

The name Greenpeace came during a planning meeting, when Erfing Sto said, “Peace” at the end of the assembly, Bill Darnell, another activist, Bill Darnell, answered, “Make him a green peace.”

“Greenpeace” was placed on the fishing boat they used. Erfing Sto organized a concert by Johnny Mitchell, James Taylor and Phil Ochz to raise money for the trip.

The boat sailed in September 1971. The Coast Guard intercepted, and the ship never reached Amchitka. But the trick got great attention, which is an essential part of the group’s strategy in the years.

The era of “whale preservation”

The next Greenpeace campaign may be the most famous: saving whales.

The idea came from Paul Sponge, who studied the whale of Orca and argued that very smart creatures were hunted for extinction. This led to an exciting and reliable sailing journey to confront Soviet whale hunting ships.

Standing all over the world has been on hunting commercial whales since 1986. Greenpeace has demanded and other groups that worked in this issue as a great victory.

The group also tried to stop sealing in northern Canada, a controversial step that strengthened a large number of population, including in indigenous societies. Greenpeace Canada I apologize to the Into members for the effects of the campaign In 2014, the organization said it does not oppose subsistence hunting on a small scale.

The Rainbow ship, a decisive ship in the Al -Hizam Anti -Campaign, was added to the fleet in 1978. That ship protested the French nuclear tests in the Pacific in 1985 when agents bombed it for the French Spy Agency DGSE, killing Fernando Pereira, photographer, and igniting international anger.

France later apologized and He was ordered to pay 8 million dollars as compensation To Greenpeace, and reached a separate settlement with the family of Mr. Pereira.

A new rainbow warrior is now one of three Greenpeace ships at work. The group said that it is sailing this month in the Marshall Islands to “submit calls to nuclear justice and climate”, and support research on the effects of previous nuclear weapons test.

Increased pain

By the nineties of the last century, the Greenpis environment that attracts attention in the generation of a new generation of people such as Valentina will eat, 39, who learned of its exploits as a girl in Europe. She worked with Greenpeace USA from 2019 to 2023.

She said: “The idea of ​​green peace ships, saving whales and commenting on a bridge or something like this was really magic.” “On the best days, Greenpeace was really like this. Of course, there is also a less bright daily offer.”

One of the constant anxiety was the collection of money: Greenpeace USA was largely funded by individual donations, which could fluctuate. Tax deposits show that its revenues have been stable in recent years.

The group’s priorities have turned into the climate and how to integrate what is known as “environmental justice”, the fact that pollution and other environmental risks often affect inconsistently on poor areas and minorities. The male -dominated organization historically had to deal with how to cooperate increasingly with a variety of other groups. I had to calculate historical tensions with indigenous societies on whale hunting campaigns, as well as other errors.

One of those mistakes occurred in Peru in 2014, when there was a more uproar Green work harmed Nazca linesOld patterns of man -made man engraved in the desert. Activists entered Greenpeace Greense in the restricted area to put a protest message about renewable energy. The Peruvian cultural minister described it as “stupidity”, “he chose part of the identity of our heritage.”

The organization apologized, and the Greenpeace Usa episode has pushed to adopt an official policy on interactions with indigenous societies, according to Rolf Skkar, director of the group’s campaigns. In short, Greenpeace will not participate in conflicts led by the indigenous population unless this is precisely required to do so.

This policy appeared in the trial of this month in North Dakota. Greenpeace has argued that he only provided support for the Dakota pipeline, after he was asked to do this by the indigenous leaders, and did not request any major role in the demonstrations.

On Monday in the courtroom in the small city of Mandan, the jury members are expected to start hearing the final arguments, after which they will consider the fate of Greenpece.