So who is taking this really seriously?
Greenpeace and the Artic 30 are
“The criminal activity I am blamed for is called journalism. I will keep doing it.” - Denis Sinyakov, freelance photographer aboard the Arctic Sunrise when it was seized 8 days ago.
Hi Geoff,
I was shocked to see pictures of Denis behind bars in the Russian courtroom yesterday. I'm a freelance photographer too and I was about to replace him when the ship reached the next port. But now Denis is being held in jail for another 2 months, without charge.
Yesterday, the Arctic 30 appeared before a court in Murmansk, Russia. No charges were laid, but all 30 are still being detained. 22 people are being held for two months as Russian authorities pursue an investigation around piracy charges. Eight people are being held for three days awaiting a new hearing.
The Russian authorities are punishing those who have risked their liberty to highlight the madness of Arctic oil, while protecting the fossil fuel industry. It should be the other way around.
Join me in central London, October 5, as part of worldwide event to free the Arctic 30. Sign up to get an SMS or email with more details of the time and place.
I am relieved to see people all around the world speaking out in support my friends. Russian newspapers are blanking out images on their webpages to draw attention to it. Together we’ve sent over half a million messages to Russian embassies worldwide. We’ve made global headlines. Now we need to show our determination on the street.
Today I went to the Russian embassy in London with my young son (pictured). I met his mother onboard the Arctic Sunrise four years ago. We all visited the ship again just a few months back. Some of the crew are like part of our family now: people like Haussy (the ship's electrician from New Zealand), 'Big John' (outboard mechanic from Tonga), and Paul (first mate from Canada). It's upsetting to think I was saying goodbye to them on the quayside in Norway only last month. Now they are facing up to two months in a Russian jail without charge.
I could have been behind bars in that courtroom yesterday. But instead I can stand with my brave colleagues and show them that they're not alone. Join me in standing up for the Arctic 30 on October 5. We must show the world that blatant intimidation will not succeed.
I’ll do anything I can to get these guys home as soon as possible. Thanks for being there with me.
Nick Cobbing
Freelance Photographer and part of the Greenpeace community
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13 comments:
Danger Will Robinson,GREENPEACE are here.
Whilst one feels sorry for people in a Russian jail,I cannot help but wonder how much money they would raise selling their "pretty" offices in The Angel and buying something off The Wallworth Road.
I expect they would not be able to buy lentils,overpriced coffee and Joni Mitchell's back catalog in SE17 as easily as they can in The Angel.
Talking of Angels,Angels and Ministers of Grace protect us from Greenpeace and their ilk,would be's if they could be's.
Yes 'Dasterdly' you have a point. Finding 'principled' people is a pointless exercise. Let's make the most of what's available. How about you reverting to being Chris?
I will tell you a story,last night I was watching a "grown up" movie unfortunately is was staring somebody that was morally bankrupt.
She was talking about Venus,I want to move to Venus,the surface of Venus is not very nice with all that CO2,N,SO2 however it is not as toxic as this planet or rather most people.
I embraced MPD last night as I was thinking of the person that Dick Dasterdly was based on he died in poverty,sad he used to look out for the homeless kids in Soho.
I will not ramble but I will make one point and I will talk about something we both know recent French history,WW2 and the resistance people risked their life to do the right thing.
Such people are no more,Greenpeace for example mean well but embrace blah blah blah and systemic mediocrity.
I remember a woman called Julia Smith she was The EP of Eastender's,now it is just another crappy soap but in her day,she was trying to make a point and allude to social issues.
I cannot remember who said it to who or in what context but in her day a line from Eastenders that always stayed with me was.
"you think you are a radical as you wear a funny hat"
she could have been talking about Greenpeace or any of the blah blah blah NGO'S.
I will be Chris for a moment,however who I truly want to be is a male mad cat lady.
No hope for this world as the planet is awash with cowards and the self obsessed.
I will leave you with one last thought,I have a pet hate of Facebook,it is party to dumbing down the world.
I as you know lost everybody as I was drunk between 98-02,I was looking for people I knew as a child in London and Ulverston.
I found one guy that was a good friend as a teenager,dumb as dirt but a decent guy,I for one would rather have a decent dumb guy than a smart asshole.
he is my age and yet he is a coward and lacks the moral backbone to stand up and be counted,I do not expect anybody of your age to stand up and be counted,I do however expect a man of my age to stand up for what is right.
I know for a fact that if I got my money back he could be contacting me with a "can you buy me" and I would only ever buy him 2 things,bandages if he was bleeding and a copy of Plato's Republic.
I am away again tomorrow,been in a cheap hotel for a couple of nights.
I will leave you with one last thought and look this up if you have not heard of it and it shows how perverse humanity has become.
A video game called Grand Theft Auto,it is obscene nothing less than operant conditioning,a vile company making millions helping to manufacture dysfunctional wacko's.
what is the answer?,cannot be banned that would be wrong,shades of Lady C,however who with any integrity would take ads for something as toxic as Grand Theft Auto.
I have seen ads of the sides of buses disgusting.
You look after yourself Geoff,I am away again tomorrow.
Just want to go up my mountain and never be seen again and if I can ever fix my charming head find Milk Maids that can yodle and fornicate at the same time.
Take Care.
Chris, you make some very good points and yes, I agree that we've decended into 'comfortable meaningless mediocracy'. We're so overwhelmed with our emotions, we can't cope with real life except in very small doses. We keep people at a distance using Facebook. A test I put my relationships to is: Can I tease this person? - And I know I have to be careful with most of them. They have a large sign over their head "Do not tease - I won't be able to cope". By contrast isn't great when you have a relationship which you feel you cannot harm by what you say because they know you so well and interpret what you say favorably. A bit like ours!
I wish you well Geoff,the world has gone PC mad what people can say and what people cannot say.
I remember at 16 with Bootsy the cop I would call him a flat footed bastard and he would call me a lazy bastard,they were terms of endearment.
I want something I can never have I want a little old Jewish lady with a Brooklyn accent with a slight eastern European inflection to tell me what is wrong with me for being drawn to somebody from Idaho.
I just want to know how she could be so cruel,not even a sandwich as I lived under a bridge,7 years later not even a sorry.
A disgusting woman,I want to know why I was drawn to somebody so cruel and dark.
The only reason their was an Audrey and a Liz was because I could not have this woman.
Something so wrong with me for wanting somebody so cruel.
I cannot get my head around it.
I am watching Fasbinder's 13 hour epic up to part 8 will get back to it.
Look after yourself Geoff.
As I've said to many times. Stop wallowing! Get involved with the present. Start talking to real people face-to-face. Start building existing and new relationships: they're there waiting straight in front of you. Walk done the road and smile at the people you meet: risky business - however it's very satisfying what you get back."People love to help those that help themselves" not those that wallow in the past. Give yourself a good telling off for being such a miseryguts.Then go do something for someone else:something they weren't expecting. This rings true for me too - I'm off!
Geoff,I will take my leave of you.
You are lucky never to have suffered,you have no idea of the Kafkaesque perversity I am dealing with.
I will not ramble,within 2 miles of where I am there are 2 obscenities that have caused me so much pain and suffering,one is close to your age and nothing goes click in their hearts to tell them to say sorry to me.
New relitionships and people love those that help themselves,have you overdosed on The Daily Mail.
My late daughter's charity would have been bigger than Elvis and all I found are cowards and the self obsessed that are scared to stand up for what is right.
Millions were stolen from my late daughters charity.
I need to get out of this hotel,I will say one last thing to you before I go.
Think of a man tied in a chair,99 people walk in to the room and hit him,the 100th man walks in and the man in the chair flinches waiting to be hit.
the 100th man does not hit him but unties him and says it would be morally perverse to hit a man tied in a chair,I am that man tied in a chair and for 8 years I have been waiting and hoping somebody would untie me ,all I found were cowards.
Take Care Geoff,I am glad you have never suffered and I wish your Daily Mail psychology worked but it does not as any holocaust survivor or crime vic will tell you.
Take Care Chris
Lastly I consider you to be a good man,I would hope that if you were 30 years younger you would be standing up for what is right.
I am morally disgusted with people my age and younger that are cowering under their beds in the same manner as people cowered under their beds as 6 million went to their death.
Last night I got an email from this disgusting man that is the son of a well known writer,my age not sorry but more crap.
That is the world for you,I truly wish I could have your Daily Mail take on life and humanity as you are happier than I.
I will be happy if I can sit in a court room and see Justice Done.
Be Safe Chris
Tease or bully? Fine line, fine line.
One you are willing to cross Geoff, without compassion or understanding.
Then you blog about why do people react to you as they often do? It's not a sport and that is where you are morally bankrupt. And the fact that you believe so often to have the moral high ground is what is so laughable. Be kind to people, listen, compromise and you will develop these friendships you claim are out there. Other people manage it. Why can't you?
I initially deleted the above comment as I saw it as mischief. But it hit a tender spot and made me think.
My answer is that I behave the best way I know how. I get very upset when I think I've upset someone. However when I start worrying about 'being kind' I find I make an even bigger mess than before. Going through life in an uncertain way is confusing to others. I do find that there is a middle path where you attempt to be honest and blunder on as best you can. I came to this conclusion a while back that being a happy positive person was what most people enjoyed. The risk is that there are some people who find this upsetting. I can only think of one person in Ulverston who would have written the above remark. She is someone that has given me a lot of pain in understanding how to behave with her. So now I just think " I don't understand" and continue being me so that at some time in the future she'll be able to figure me out well enough to make allowances. If we start trying to be the person we're not, we are kind to no one and we're certainly not happy. Since adopting this approach I find that I have a lot more very good relationships. Some like me others don't.
Teasing. Another small point. Teasing, quite the opposite of bullying is done between people who really like each other and is done back and forth beween people who trust each other enough to dare. An alternative word is banter and is common amongst men in particular who like each other - Come to The Stan Laurel to enjoy a bit ot banter. You come away enthused because people trusted you enough to say something just a little risky and you laughed rather than became upset.
And another big point. You don't know what you're talking about!
I often plaunge in where the rest of you refuse to go. This always has the risk that you get it wrong - but think of what happens when you get it right. The world explodes with happiness - so to speak. I've just caused such an explosion - that's why people like me!
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