The Bombing of the Rainbow Warrior: A French Cover-Up

The Genesis of Greenpeace

• 💡 The environmental organization Greenpeace was founded in 1971 by activists protesting a planned underground nuclear test on Amchitka Island, Alaska.
• 🚀 Their initial protest involved sailing an old fishing boat into the nuclear testing zone, sparking global attention and leading to the cancellation of future US tests at the site.
• 🌱 Greenpeace evolved into a global movement addressing issues like whaling, seal hunting, climate change, deforestation, and plastic pollution.

The Rainbow Warrior's Mission

• 🚢 The Rainbow Warrior was originally a UK fishing trawler purchased by Greenpeace in 1977 and refitted as a protest vessel, named after a North American indigenous prophecy.
• ☢️ The ship was actively involved in campaigns against whaling, seal hunting, and nuclear testing/waste dumping throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• 🏝️ In 1985, the Rainbow Warrior undertook Operation Exodus, relocating approximately 350 people from the contaminated atoll of Rongelap in the Marshall Islands to a safer area.

The Bombing and Investigation

• 💥 On July 10, 1985, the Rainbow Warrior was bombed in Auckland Harbor, New Zealand, by French foreign intelligence agents.
• 🕯️ The bombing resulted in the death of photographer Fernando Pereira, who was retrieving his camera equipment.
• 🔍 New Zealand police investigations revealed the use of limpet mines and identified French intelligence agents as perpetrators, uncovering a significant cover-up.

French Involvement and Cover-Up

• 🤥 France initially denied involvement, but investigations uncovered a plot involving French intelligence agents importing mines and planting them on the ship.
• ⚖️ Two French agents were arrested and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but France exerted economic pressure on New Zealand for their release.
• 🗣️ In September 1985, the French prime minister admitted that the bombing was a French plot and acknowledged a cover-up, stating agents acted on orders.

Strange Facts and Theories

• 📜 Declassified documents indicated that the President of France had approved the operation, though some theories suggest the agents acted beyond their orders or that the bombing was intended to be less severe.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Theories surrounding the motive include a cover-up of nuclear contamination, a political diversion from domestic scandals, or an unsanctioned rogue operation by intelligence agents.
• 💰 Some speculate that Greenpeace may have benefited from the incident, potentially through insurance or increased public profile leading to a new, larger ship.