French Navy welcome but Greenpeace given the cold shoulder

News from the Celtic League:

A petition has been started following a decision by Forth Ports to block a Greenpeace ship from berthing in the Port of Leith instead the vessel has had to anchor offshore.

The Esperanza, a former Soviet navy ship, which is the largest in the Greenpeace fleet, arrived in the Firth of Forth on Wednesday – it is believed its crew plans to stay in the estuary for one week.

Greenpeace is in Scotland to support plans for a deposit and return scheme on drinks containers that would potentially reduce plastic pollution in the sea – the group says no direct action is planned.

Forth Ports, which runs the Port of Leith, told the campaign group it cannot dock as the port is already full but a compromise was agreed allowing the vessel to moor off Granton Harbour in the Forth.

A French warship the FS Languedoc, with around 140 sailors on board was among ships moored at Leith docks yesterday.

Full report here in the Scotsman newspaper:

http://www.scotsman.com/…/petition-against-blocking-greenpe…

It’s unclear if the Port Authority were unsure about Greenpeace motives and the presence of the French vessel which was due as part of its initial deployment to sail to Arctic waters – the reason is unclear.

Greenpeace and the French have history. In an infamous instance the French Special Forces sank the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour New Zealand one activist on board died. Shamefully no French nationals were ever properly held to account for the murder.

Image: Greenpeace vessel Esperanza.

Petition detail here please support:

https://www.change.org/p/forth-ports-allow-greenpeace-vesse…

BERNARD MOFFATT
Public Relations Officer Mannin Branch

Issued by: The Mannin branch of the Celtic League.

12/11/16