Violent Assault on Greenpeace Activists Scaling Arctic Rig

Video released by Russian security forces Wednesday shows armed Russian coast guard agents violently shutting down last week’s peaceful Greenpeace International protest against a Gazprom-owned offshore drilling rig in Russia’s arctic waters.

Russian forces are shown firing gunshots into the water completely unprovoked and dangerously pulling the ropes securing Greenpeace International activists as they descend from the rig, which they had nonviolently scaled in protest of dangerous drilling. Greenpeace’s Sini Saarela from Finland yells “I’m coming down!” as Russian forces yank on her climbing ropes. The video (below) was apparently taken from the rig the activists were climbing.

All ‘Arctic Sunrise’ crew members, who hail from 18 different countries, including the two whose violent detention is depicted in this video, are still under detention near Murmansk and some have been notified they face piracy charges, according to a Greenpeace International statement. As Common Dreams previously reported, Russian authorities violently seized the ship 12 hours after activists launched their peaceful protest against Russian oil giant Gazprom last week.

Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the seizures Wednesday, declaring the activists had broken international law. Greenpeace International spokespeople insist organizers took great pains to contact Russian authorities and Gazprom to notify them of their planned peaceful protests.