Israeli commandos storm the Mavi Marmara in May 2010, killing 9 aid workers destined for besieged Gaza
On September 18th, the Greenpeace ship
Arctic Sunrise participated in
protests against oil drilling activities by the Russian energy company Gazprom at the Prirazlomnaya oil rig in the Arctic Sea. Greenpeace opposes oil drilling in the Arctic on the grounds that oil drilling would cause damage to the delicate ecosystem and that there are no safety plans in place to prevent oil spills.
The crew of
Arctic Sunrise circled the oil rig, while three crew attempted to board the platform. In response, the Russian Coast Guard boarded the ship from a helicopter and arrested everyone onboard. Last week, Greenpeace released footage of the military raid:
30 Greenpeace activists were arrested, none of whom suffered any physical harm during the incident. They have since been detained and are awaiting court procedings. The Russian action was heavily criticised in the West, where it was used to once again demonise the Russians and show how barbaric and uncivilised they are.
The boarding of the Arctic Sunrise, and the subsequent media storm, reminded me of another ship that was boarded three years ago - the
Mavi Marmara. This incident took place on May 31st, 2010 in international waters off the Easter Mediterranean coast. Below is some footage from the scene: