Greenpeace: Threatened Amazon Activists Need Your Urgent Help!
Greenpeace Forest Campaign Urgent Update
Three hundred loggers from Porto de Moz in the Amazon surrounded the Greenpeace vessel MV Arctic Sunrise earlier this week, and local forest activists were threatened with attacks that sent them fleeing for sanctuary. As of today the situation is still highly dangerous. We need your help to strengthen the support of Brazil's federal government.
The protest and threats were aimed not only against Greenpeace, which has been exposing illegal logging in the region, but against the Brazilian Environmental agency (IBAMA)'s attempt to enforce the laws of Brazil as well. In an action a few days ago our activists discovered a barge full of illegal logs in a remote riverside harbour. Activists painted "Crime" on 6,000 cubic metres of logs, and marked the area with yellow tape as a "Forest Crime" scene. Inspectors from IBAMA, the Brazilian Environmental agency, are currently active in the region. Inspectors working along the Transamazonian highway were trapped in their hotel last week when they were surrounded by 300 armed loggers.
Loggers were provoked to protest by a local radio station, saying they were "cowards" if they didn't chase Greenpeace out. The radio station is owned by the mayor of this small town, who also controls the largest logging operation in the region.
There are two things you can do to help with this extremely urgent and dangerous situation.
First, send a letter to Brazilian president Lula da Silva asking him to support his own government officials and local citizens:
http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=1087&s=gen
Second, make an urgent phone call or send a fax to your local Brazilian embassy. There is a list of Brazilian embassy information here:
http://guardians.greenpeace.org/posting/1070008692
To get more involved in the campaign, become a Greenpeace Forest Guardian:
http://guardians.greenpeace.org/m
You can read more about Forest Guardians here:
http://guardians.greenpeace.org/posting/1069082974
Once you have joined, don't forget to choose a volunteer role at Guardian Central: http://guardians.greenpeace.org/guardian_central
You can also make a donation here:
https://www.greenpeace.com/donate/miami-new.html
Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org
Please also see:
Brazil president faces growing criticism on environment
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-10-21/s_9619.asp
Greenpeace Forest Campaign Urgent Update
Three hundred loggers from Porto de Moz in the Amazon surrounded the Greenpeace vessel MV Arctic Sunrise earlier this week, and local forest activists were threatened with attacks that sent them fleeing for sanctuary. As of today the situation is still highly dangerous. We need your help to strengthen the support of Brazil's federal government.
The protest and threats were aimed not only against Greenpeace, which has been exposing illegal logging in the region, but against the Brazilian Environmental agency (IBAMA)'s attempt to enforce the laws of Brazil as well. In an action a few days ago our activists discovered a barge full of illegal logs in a remote riverside harbour. Activists painted "Crime" on 6,000 cubic metres of logs, and marked the area with yellow tape as a "Forest Crime" scene. Inspectors from IBAMA, the Brazilian Environmental agency, are currently active in the region. Inspectors working along the Transamazonian highway were trapped in their hotel last week when they were surrounded by 300 armed loggers.
Loggers were provoked to protest by a local radio station, saying they were "cowards" if they didn't chase Greenpeace out. The radio station is owned by the mayor of this small town, who also controls the largest logging operation in the region.
There are two things you can do to help with this extremely urgent and dangerous situation.
First, send a letter to Brazilian president Lula da Silva asking him to support his own government officials and local citizens:
http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=1087&s=gen
Second, make an urgent phone call or send a fax to your local Brazilian embassy. There is a list of Brazilian embassy information here:
http://guardians.greenpeace.org/posting/1070008692
To get more involved in the campaign, become a Greenpeace Forest Guardian:
http://guardians.greenpeace.org/m
You can read more about Forest Guardians here:
http://guardians.greenpeace.org/posting/1069082974
Once you have joined, don't forget to choose a volunteer role at Guardian Central: http://guardians.greenpeace.org/guardian_central
You can also make a donation here:
https://www.greenpeace.com/donate/miami-new.html
Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org
Please also see:
Brazil president faces growing criticism on environment
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-10-21/s_9619.asp