***** Press Release * Press Release * Press Release *****
For immediate release 5th December 1991
EARTH FIRST! ACTIVISTS SAY SEND IT BACK TO SARAWAK
Yesterday (4th of December) in the early hours of the morning the ship
M.V. Singa Wilstream carrying tropical timber from Malaysia met
opposition both at land and at sea while it tried to dock in Tilbury,
England. Four demonstrators chained themselves to the lock gates to
prevent the ship from entering, while four motorboats containing Earth
First! and Sea Shepherd activists buzzed around the ship and attached a
magnetic banner to the ship proclaiming that "TIMBER IMPORTS =
RAINFOREST DEATH!!'. The Police had to remove one activist from the
lock so the ship could enter, and the ship narrowly missed another
activist by 10 feet.
The actions against the ship continued: At Ten o'clock a group of over
one hundred people gathered and continually blockaded the entrance to
the port. They chanted "EARTH FIRST! PROFITS LAST" and "SEND IT BACK TO
SARAWAK". Many people entered the docks and had to by forcibly removed
while attempting to reach the ship. Two women chained themselves to a
pile of dead rainforest for over an hour. Vehicles breached security
and made it to the ship. A woman climbed the cranes, thus delaying the
unloading.
The actions featured an unprecedented coalition of environmental groups
including Friends of the Earth, The Green Party, Sea Shepherd, Sea
Action, Rainforest Action Groups and Earth First!. Earth First!
activists Angie Zelter and Jake Burbridge - who have both recently
returned from prison sentences in Sarawak - initiated and coordinated
the actions as part of their pledge to the tribal people of Sarawak who
are facing genocide at the hands of the timber industry and Malaysian
and Sarawak government. Jake Burbridge said " This action is the first
stage in an campaign to ban the importation of tropical timber from
Malaysia within months we will be focusing upon every port. The people
of Britain have shown that they do not want the timber here. We will
not tolerate this immoral trade in death any longer. The murderers and
criminals of the international timber trade are on the run and we're
after them."
For further information on the campaign and issues contact Earth First!
at +44 (0)81 806 1561.
Ends.