This Saturday, July 12, Greenpeace Nice is calling for a symbolic mobilization this morning on the Promenade des Anglais. The goal: to raise awareness of the repression targeting environmental defenders and to encourage collective resistance.
Between 9:30 AM and 12:30 PM, passersby on the Promenade des Anglais, by the Cours Saleya, will be invited to look up to the sky. Kites bearing the message “Time to resist” will be flying. This is a visual and non-violent way to denounce the increasing violations of environmental activists’ rights.
This mobilization is part of a national action. Throughout France, Greenpeace is organizing similar events all summer long. In Nice, this initiative also aims to mark a date: the fortieth anniversary of the attack on the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace ship sunk on July 10, 1985, by the French secret services. The attack claimed the life of photographer Fernando Pereira.
“Forty years after the attack, our determination remains intact,” reminds Greenpeace. The organization wishes to pay tribute to all those who, then and now, are targeted for their commitment to the environment.
Far from belonging to the past, the forms of repression continue according to the organization. Legal proceedings, intimidation, surveillance: the methods change, but the pressures remain. “As the consequences of climate change and environmental damage become increasingly obvious and tangible, ecologists who sound the alarm face growing repression and stigmatization,” Greenpeace further denounces.
The chosen format is intended to be accessible. No aggressive slogans or confrontations. The event is set to take place in a predicted atmosphere of poetry and festivity. The association hopes to engage both the curious and the regulars of the Nice coastline.
With this event, Greenpeace calls for gathering together, standing firm, and not giving in to obstacles. The objective is clear: to build a society around common values of justice, peace, and the preservation of life.
