Greenpeace activists on trial in Spain over 2021 protest that delayed gas tanker

Greenpeace described the original request as "the longest sentence ever sought against activists". A spokesman for the organisation told this newspaper that prosecutors had initially applied an aggravated provision introduced in January 2022, after the events took place, which the Spanish Constitution prohibits.

The case dates back to October 2021, when four Spaniards, one German, one Indonesian, one Frenchman, one Chilean, one Brazilian, one Italian and one Ukrainian, all with no previous criminal convictions, were aboard the environmental organisation's ship Esperanza, heading for Sagunto port.

At 11am, the activists boarded four inflatable boats and headed towards the Merchant, a vessel carrying 125,000 cubic metres of gas, in an attempt to prevent it from reaching the dock at the port's regasification plant. They got close enough to spray-paint "No + gas" on the hull, according to the prosecution.

According to the prosecution, patrol boats attempted to stop the activists. As they pursued the inflatable boats, the main Greenpeace vessel dropped anchor alongside the gas tanker and secured its anchors. The tanker abandoned its manoeuvre and anchored outside the port's waters.

The Guardia Civil then boarded the Esperanza, which was towed away after the captain refused to comply with orders from the Spanish authorities and the door to the bridge was broken down. One activist also chained himself to the vessel and was not forcibly removed until 7.45pm.

The action delayed the gas tanker's berthing by around 12 hours. The vessel left the port 15 days later.

The trial is being held at Sagunto's Investigating Court No. 4 and was being observed by United Nations Special Rapporteur Michel Forst, who was seated in the front rows. The defendants began giving evidence at 2pm.

The activists said their action was a peaceful protest against the use of fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming and pollution. "It formed part of a peaceful protest," the defence brief states. "It is not true that the actions of the Greenpeace activists could constitute the offence of public disorder."

The Guardia Civil detained only the ship's captain, while the other people involved returned to the vessel where they were staying, Greenpeace said. The organisation argued that this undermined the prosecution's account that the crews of the inflatable boats near the Merchant had carried out activities beyond their stated aim of drawing attention to the supply of substances that contribute significantly to climate change.

The prosecution has calculated the damage at 39,500 euros, citing the cost of tugboats and the working hours lost by pilots and mooring crews. Greenpeace said it had already paid more than 160,000 euros over the action and warned of what it described as a "worrying global trend towards harsher repression of activism and social mobilisation".