Seven Greenpeace members went on trial in France on Monday for trying to stop a decommissioned French warship from being dismantled in India, a case that embarassed President Jacques Chirac. In February, the French government decided to recall the Clemenceau, a mothballed aircraft carrier containing tonnes of asbestos, after the environmental group said scrapping it in India would pose a risk to the health of workers.

A court order blocked the ship from entering Indian waters while environmental activists staged several protests. Seven Greenpeace members -- three French, two Belgians, one Dane and one Indian -- face charges of "fraudulent entry onto a military site or piece of equipment" for having boarded the ship in the French port of Toulon or near the Suez Canal.

They risk one year in prison and 15,000 euros (US$18,800) in fines. The activists expressed no regrets for their action as their trial opened in the southern city of Marseille on Monday. "We put the finger on a real problem," one of them said. Greenpeace lawyer Alexandre Faro said the Clemenceau could not be considered a piece of military equipment because it had been stripped of arms.

Prosecutor Olivier Redon asked for fines of 10,000 euros for each of the accused, whom he described as "likeable individuals" with "noble intentions". The verdict is due in a few weeks. Chirac was forced to order the vessel to turn back from the Indian Ocean where it had been awaiting a final decision on its fate, sparking accusations of wastefulness at a time when France is trying to cut public spending.
(Planet Arke, 18/10/2006)
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