Danish court fines Greenpeace for blocking transit of tankers carrying Russian oil

A court in the town of Svendborg in Denmark has imposed fines totalling DKK360,000 (US$53,000) against the local branch of environmental activist group Greenpeace in connection with some of its members' actions in attempting to disrupt the movement of crude oil imported from Russia.

In a statement released on Tuesday, September 3, Greenpeace Danmark said the fines were imposed for what the group claims were "peaceful protests against Danish and European imports of Russian oil in March 2022."

Specifically, Greenpeace activists had deliberately placed themselves in the path of oncoming tankers carrying Russian oil through Danish waters. The group said it resorted to these actions as an expression of solidarity with Ukraine in the wake of the February 2022 Russian invasion.

Greenpeace's campaign manager Sune Scheller, who had himself also participated in some of these protest actions, said that the fines are "a very harsh punishment for a peaceful action against Denmark's and the EU's import of the Russian oil that finances Russia's war in Ukraine."

In its decision, the court emphasised that Greenpeace as an organisation has previously been fined for other actions. Because of the repetition, the punishment should therefore be harsher for these more recent offences.

Scheller said Greenpeace will read the court's judgment carefully and consider its full consequences before consulting with lawyers on the next course of action.