(Nine activists were involved in the March 4 publicity stunt at the Cincinnati headquarters of P&G. Photo by Greenpeace.)
Note: We have been following this case because felony charges are unusual for protests.The Greenpeace banner drop protesting Procter & Gamble’s use of palm oil tied to rainforest destruction was dramatic. As the Associated Press reports in the obituary for one of the activists, they “slipped past the company’s security March 4 and used a zip line to unfurl giant banners from P&G’s two towers as a helicopter filmed them. One was dressed in a tiger costume.” The protest seemed to have its intended impact as in the next month the company “announced it had adopted a ‘no deforestation’ policy for its palm oil supply and would establish traceability of supplies by 2015.” Greenpeace applauded the action as a “huge step” in protecting the rainforest.
– PopRes
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The trial of Greenpeace activists who face charges of burglary and vandalism related to a protest at the Cincinnati headquarters of Procter & Gamble Co. has been delayed until next year.
Eight of the nine activists were expected to stand trial Oct. 27 in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, but the start of the jury trial has been rescheduled for Jan. 20.
One of the activists, Tyler Wilkerson, 27, died Oct. 6 of an undisclosed cause. An Oct. 16 filing asked that the charges be dropped against Wilkerson, a former Marine who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and was working in California as an organic farmer.
“There is no connection between the new trial date and Tyler’s death,” Greenpeace spokeswoman Kat Clark said today. “The change is simply due to standard court scheduling challenges – coordinating the availability of all the participating attorneys and the judge.”
Nine Greenpeace activists made their way to the 12th floor of P&G‘s twin towers March 4, and then some rappelled down the side. They hung protest banners that blamed Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) for deforestation linked to the production of palm oil, an ingredient in P&G products such as Head & Shoulders shampoo.
One of the activists, Charles Long, 35, of Chicago was found guilty Sept. 8 by Judge Robert Winkler after accepting a plea bargain from prosecutors. He is free on bail while awaiting sentencing on a reduced charge.
The remaining seven activists, who rejected plea deals, could be sentenced to up to 9½ years in prison if found guilty of the felony charges. They also could be fined up to $20,000 each.