25 years since the Rainbow Warrior was sunk
Home » Blog » Annabel McAleer » 25 years since the Rainbow Warrior was sunkHow are you going to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior?
Photo by Murphyz Mike via Flickr
This Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior. In case you suffer from a terrible case of amnesia, the Rainbow Warrior was a Greenpeace vessel that was used to protest seal hunting, whaling and nuclear activities between 1977 and 1985. The ship was bombed by operatives of the French Intelligence service on July 10, 1985 while docked in Auckland on its way to protest French nuclear activity at Moruroa atoll. Dutch photographer Fernando Pereira, one of 12 crew members, lost his life in the bombings.
Greenpeace communications manager Suzette Jackson remembers how hard the attack hit New Zealanders, and how the incident changed New Zealand’s stance on nuclear activity.
“It was an act of terrorism in its own right, but also as an extraordinary assault on the concept of peaceful protest. It was this act that helped to cement New Zealand’s strong stance as a nuclear free advocate for the world.”
It was a pivotal moment in New Zealand's history, and if you'd like to commemorate it this Saturday there are a few things you can do.
Help build the Rainbow Warrior III
The Rainbow Warrior was re-built in 1989, but the time has come for a third Warrior to replace its predecessors. Greenpeace chief excutive Bunny McDiarmid, who was on board the Rainbow Warrior when it was attacked, says:
We launched the Rainbow Warrior II in 1989, and she has since sailed to every corner of the world to confront environmental crime. But our flagship is now old, struggling, and in need of constant repairs.
We need to build the Rainbow Warrior III. She'll be a showcase of environmental technology designed specifically for our campaigning, communications and direct action needs. She'll allow us to rapidly and effectively document, expose and confront environmental crime, wherever it may occur in the world.
Our planet needs the Rainbow Warrior III, but we've yet to identify the funding needed to complete her, which is why we need your help.
Click here to donate to the Rainbow Warrior III
Wear your heart on your chest
T-shirt retailer Mr Vintage is knows for its topical designs (its "You must always blow on the pie" t-shirt is a Kiwi classic), so it's only natural that the company has teamed up with Greenpeace to release two limited edition Rainbow Warrior t-shirts, designed by Stephen Richardson.
Better yet, the partnership has led to Mr Vintage overhauling its printing and manufacturing procedures to become more environmentally friendly. The Rainbow Warrior collection is printed using water based inks on certified organic cotton, and the entire supply chain is ethical and sweat-shop free.
Rainbow Warrior t-shirts, $29.95 from www.mrvintage.co.nz
Go to the movies
The Rainbow Warriors of Waiheke Island is a Dutch documentary screening for the first time in Auckland on Saturday, as part of the NZ International Film Festival.
Six members of the original Rainbow Warrior crew eventually settled on Waiheke Island, and this documentary films them as they go about their daily lives and investigates the connections between their life choices and the bombing.
It'll show around the country as part of the Film Festival.
Thu July 08, 2010 @ 07:53 AM
