Archaeology, Law & Justice, Politics

Greenpeace Director in Lima to Apologize for Nazca Lines Stunt

 

Greenpeace - Kumi Naidoo
Greenpeace executive director Kumi Naidoo

President Ollanta Humala lashed out yesterday at Greenpeace, saying that their recent stunt at the Nazca Lines to raise awareness for clean energy showed a “lack of respect.”

“We have been able to appreciate two messages, one explicit but there was another bigger implicit one,” Humala said, according to daily El Comercio. “The lack of respect for our cultural heritage and Peruvian laws.”

Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace’s executive director, arrived in Lima late Thursday, to offer his apologies for the organizations Nazca Lines action, and is scheduled to meet officials at the Ministryof Culture on Friday afternoon. He said the organization would face the consequences of its actions.

Greenpeace activists from a number of countries sneaked into the area of the famous Nazca Lines in southern Peru, and worked through the night to set up a massive banner that read in yellow letters: “Time for Change! The Future is Renewable. Greenpeace.”

Nazca - GreenpeaceThe banner was located only a few meters from one of the most famous Nazca drawings, the hummingbird. The Culture Ministry said the stunt caused irreparable damage in the fragile area near the hummingbird.

The activisits performed a similar action at Machu Picchu, hanging banners from the agricultural terraces early in the morning, but no damage was done to the site.

GreenPeace unfurls pro-solar message at Machu Picchu ahead of United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Lima - COP20Officials at the Culture Ministry filed charges against the activists, who came from Chile, Argentina, Spain and other countries to make their statements during the United Nations climate change talks, COP 20. A prosecutor has also tried to prevent them from leaving the country.

The backlash has caught Greenpeace off guard, since it intended the message to be one of “hope.” Instead, many Peruvians are expressing similar points of view to that of President Humala.

“We fully understand that this looks bad. Rather than relay an urgent message of hope and possibility to the leaders gathering at the Lima UN climate talks, we came across as careless and crass,” said Naidoo, of South Africa.

“We take personal responsibility for these actions, and are willing to face the consequences,” he added. “We are deeply sorry for this.”

7 Comments

  1. Unbelievable stupidity – way to go Greenpeace!!!

    • U R Correct!

      U R Correct!

      Here’s hoping that the Peruvian government and people use Greenpeace’s (not green not peaceful) tactics on them…and then some. Three step restitution:

      1)Sue the living s_ _ t out of Greenpeace
      2)Round up the eco idiots who defaced the site, have
      them repair it as much as possible
      3) Incorporate their shallow graves into the hummingbird
      image

  2. Flor de Maria

    There is only a word for these people…jerks!! As a Peruvian and a former contributor to Green Peace I feel so angry and stunned they would do something like that. What were they thinking?? I am outraged that Green Peace would think they have the right to trample and destroy a piece of the world’s heritage and one of our most beloved sites. You have lost all credibility and respect from me and all I can say is Shame on you!

    • As a liberal American, I have always supported environmental causes and applauded greenpeaces global efforts. This desecration is so disgusting that Greenpeace has destroyed not only its own credibility, it has damaged the credibility of environmental activists everywhere. These smart ass punks should be imprisoned and their organization fined into extinction. I would no more consider giving another dollar to Greenpeace than I would advocate feeding a diseased rat. Disband Greenpeace you’ve lost your compass and sunk your own boat.

  3. Rudy Haugeneder

    It was probably a great natural environment before our human ancestors carved it up. That is always forgotten. The people who built the monument were the eco-criminals of their day.

  4. Steffen Crist

    I would hope the Peruvian government will consider pursuing the maximum pentalties for those involved in these incidents of vandalism.

  5. Gustavo Farfan O'Brien

    Greenpeace could have done this electronically, over a picture. Instead, they decided to waste the world’s resources to irreparably damage one of the world’s top archeological sites! Greenpeace shoul be expelled and banned from Peruvian territory ASAP!

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