Earlier this year, a jury in the United States found Greenpeace liable for 667 million dollars in a lawsuit brought by Energy Transfer, a fossil fuel company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline. The case was not about justice. It was about intimidation.
Energy Transfer used what is known as a SLAPP: a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. These cases are designed not to win on merit, but to wear down critics through costly and time-consuming legal action. They are about silencing dissent, especially when that dissent threatens profits.
Now Greenpeace International is challenging the verdict in a landmark legal case. It is the first to test new legislation intended to protect against this kind of legal bullying. This is a crucial moment, not just for Greenpeace, but for anyone who values peaceful protest, public accountability, and the right to speak out.
The email I received put it simply. If these lawsuits succeed, we all lose. The cost will not just be legal fees. It will be the climate, the oceans, the forests, and the right to protest injustice without fear of bankruptcy.
Greenpeace has faced this before. When Shell tried a similar tactic in the UK, they stood their ground and kept going. Now they are doing the same on a global level. Win or lose, it is people-power that makes that possible.
If you want to support the campaign or read more about the case, visit
👉 https://www.greenpeace.org.uk
Tag: greenpeace
-
Big Oil, Big Lawsuits, and the Fight for Free Speech