Spanish court acquits Greenpeace activists over 2021 tanker blockade

In a case stemming from a 2021 action in Sagunto, a Valencia court found eleven Greenpeace activists not guilty of “serious disturbance of public order.” The protest halted the US-owned gas tanker Merchant, which was carrying fracking gas, by blocking its entrance for several hours, and one activist remained attached to the ship’s anchor chain for twelve hours before releasing. The judges concluded that the activists’ conduct did not involve violence or intimidation sufficient to meet the legal threshold for a severe public-order offense.

Although prosecutors had initially requested a five-year sentence, later reduced to two years and six months, the court issued a complete acquittal. Eva Saldaña of Greenpeace Spain and Portugal called the ruling a victory for the right to protest, and UN special rapporteur Gina Romero also welcomed the decision.