Today is the 20-year anniversary of the sinking of the Rainbow warrior in Auckland Harbour by French secret service agents. It was an act of terrorism against Greenpeace.
Greenpeace has various events organised to commemorate the occasion.
“It was an unbelievable act and it was of course one of the dumbest things the French government has ever done,” according to New Zealand’s former deputy prime minister Geoffrey Palmer.
Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira died in the blast.
The Rainbow Warrior was to participate in protests against French nuclear testing on Muraroa atoll.
Since the bombing, Greenpeace has gone on to commit some pretty terrible acts of terrorism itself including the campaign to pressure Zambia’s President Mwanawasa to refuse the 26,000 tonnes of corn aid in 2002 because the corn was GM modified – while his people starved.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.