THE Prosecutor’s Office asks for six years of prison for the two Greenpeace activists prosecuted for sinking two boats into a Urban Guard Shippiloted by three agents, during Pedro Sánchez’s visit to the Cercle d’Economie, in June 2021. In its letter to which ABC had access, the Public Ministry points out that the two pilots committed a crime of attack against the authority and two of injuries. One of them, mild.
The event occurred on June 18, 2021 at noon, when two motorboats approached the W Hotel, where the government president was closing El Cercle. From one of the NGO boats, activists unfurled a banner that read:Pedro Sanchez, we are watching you, we want a just transition“They did it, the prosecution points out, in a maritime area where anchoring could not be done, which is why three city dwellers approached them with their boat.
Then they identified themselves as police officers, “shout, use light and sound signalswhistles, and they asked both boats to stop their engines and identify themselves. They also asked for the banner to be removed. Despite this, the prosecution states: “At no time did they obey the orders of the agents.They did not stop and, even though they picked up the banner, other activists unfurled smaller ones.
“The occupants of the two boats and The two defendants acted as if the police were not there.. As they were heading towards the first boat, the second not only did not obey the orders received by the officers, but also began to carry out maneuvers to disrupt the police action by circling around it, thus putting the officers in danger. Danger while they were filming what was happening. Despite this, the townspeople continued to demand that the accused “stop the engine and identify themselves.” They did so repeatedly, “clearly and forcefully,” until one of the motorcycles “left the scene.”
He did so, the prosecution emphasizes, “carry out a dangerous approach maneuver to the agents’ boat” Shortly after, the other Greenpeace boat did the same. persecution“during which, each time the Police managed to approach, the boat [de los activistas] maneuvered to approach them with the intention of hitting them, endangering the physical integrity of the agents“The same thing happened with the second motorboat, which “maneuvered in the opposite direction to the police boat in an attempt to pass by the bow, with the officers having to maneuver abruptly and sharply, changing direction to avoid collision.”
The boat “maneuvered to approach them with the intention of hitting them, endangering the physical integrity of the agents”
Despite this, the city guards continued the chase, during which the activists’ boat repeatedly maneuvered “dangerously and positioned itself to approach the police boat, sometimes from the rear, sometimes from the bow and sometimes from the side.” , forcing one of the officers, the one driving the boat, “to abruptly execute continuous turns with change of coursespeed reductions to avoid collisions.
The public prosecutor thus considers that The activists ignored the police’s ordersalso carrying out dangerous manoeuvres, as a result of which – due to the sudden changes in speed, course and braking that the police boat had to make to avoid the attack – “the officers hit the control panel, the metal structure of the boat, and this during They clung to whatever they could reach to avoid being thrown. when the boat got stuck in the sea due to sudden braking and turning. In addition, as a result of these maneuvers, water entered the boat, which caused the police officers to slide on the floor of the boat, making it difficult to stand.
The dangerousness of the manoeuvre of the accused’s boats when they were heading towards the police boats was all the greater because the sea was rough. The chase could have ended when the accused’s boats entered the port of Forum de Sant Adrià. The Prosecutor’s Office therefore considers that at any time, “The accused acted with the intention of undermining the principle of authority that the agents represented, and to harm their physical integrity.
Of the three urban patients, one only needed initial assistance and recovered within a week. Another of them suffered from lower back pain and acute stress. It took him two months to recover. The third suffered a fractured vertebra. For all this, the public prosecutor is demanding six years in prison for the two activists who piloted the Greenpeace boats. Four for assault, two more for injuries and a fine of 600 euros for another minor offence of injuries.
In terms of civil liability, the prosecution is asking that the police officers be compensated to the tune of 455 euros; in the case of the one who was the mildest; and 8,950 euros for each of the other two for the injury and its consequences.
