This time, the protest has come at a high cost for Greenpeace. The activist organization has been sentenced in the United States to pay 660 million dollars (about 605 million euros) in damages to the Energy Transfer oil company after a North Dakota jury found it guilty of defamation for the protests against the Dakota Access pipeline, as reported by Europa Press.
A nine-person jury issued the verdict after a three-week trial. Greenpeace, originally from Canada but based in the Netherlands, has stated that it will appeal the ruling to the North Dakota Supreme Court, explaining that the compensation will be divided among its U.S. subsidiaries and Greenpeace International.
The interim executive director of the U.S. subsidiaries, Sushsma Raman, expressed that "this case should alarm everyone, regardless of their political inclinations." She stated, "It is part of a renewed effort by corporations to use our courts as a weapon to silence dissent."
"We should all be concerned about the future of the First Amendment and lawsuits like this, which aim to destroy our right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression," she denounced.
Raman emphasized that "these rights are crucial for any work seeking to ensure justice," which is why they will continue "fighting together, in solidarity." She declared, "While the aggressors of big oil companies may try to hinder a single group, they cannot stop a movement."
The executive director of Greenpeace International, Mads Christensen, pointed out that "we are witnessing a disastrous return to reckless behaviors that drove the climate crisis, deepened environmental racism, and prioritized fossil fuel profits over public health and a habitable planet."
"The previous Trump Administration spent four years dismantling protections for clean air, water, and indigenous sovereignty, and now, along with its allies, wants to finish the job by silencing protests. We will not give in. They will not silence us," he asserted.
On her part, the executive director of Greenpeace Spain, Eva Saldaña, stated that this is "a sad moment for activism and civil disobedience." She added, "But this verdict is not the end of our fight against big oil companies."
"We are living in dark times, but now Greenpeace is more necessary than ever, and we will continue to fight for a green and peaceful world, where freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest are guaranteed. We know that truth and law are on our side, and we will not retreat, they will not silence us," she affirmed.
She recalled that in February, the NGO filed a lawsuit against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands, "making use for the first time of the anti-SLAPP directive" (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation). "We will see each other in court in Amsterdam next July," she warned, emphasizing that "Greenpeace will continue to be at the forefront in the battle to achieve the protection of these fundamental rights for all."
The oil company, based in Dallas, sued the NGO for 300 million dollars in 2019, accusing the environmental group of planning protests, spreading misinformation, and causing financial losses through property damage and revenue decline. The pipeline, nearly 1,900 kilometers long, crosses four states and has been operational since 2017 despite protests stemming from a crossing under Lake Oahe, near a Sioux indigenous reservation.