Status: 08/30/2021 9:17 p.m.
The environmental organization Greenpeace celebrated its 50th anniversary in Stralsund. The spectacular actions of the environmentalists cause a stir again and again. Chancellor Merkel also came to the ceremony.
On September 15, 1971, pacifists and opponents of nuclear power joined forces to prevent a nuclear test off Alaska using a converted fishing trawler. From this action, one of the world’s largest environmental organizations has emerged in the past few decades – Greenpeace. On Monday it celebrated its 50th anniversary in the Ozeaneum of the German Maritime Museum in Stralsund (Vorpommern-Rügen district). Greenpeace has had a decisive influence on global environmental protection over the past 50 years, said Martin Kaiser, executive director of Greenpeace Germany. “But after half a century, with thousands of missions around the world, our mission to preserve the foundations of life on earth has not yet been accomplished.” On the contrary, the climate crisis and the extinction of species are “so alarming that Greenpeace is needed more than ever”.
Merkel and Schwesig in Stralsund there
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) also came to Rostock for the anniversary celebration. “Persistent and argumentative, convinced and convincing”, the organization has been pointing out to the vulnerability of ecosystems since it was founded, praised Merkel. Among other things, she recalled the “clever protests” by Greenpeace against the sinking of the oil platform “Brent Spar” in 1995, during her time as Federal Environment Minister. Greenpeace not only spectacularly occupied the platform, but also called for a boycott of Shell petrol stations. In this way, every citizen could participate without having to accept excessive restrictions himself, said Merkel. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) and the new scientific director of the Ozeaneum, Prof. Burkard Baschek, also took part in the celebration. Schwesig also praised the work of the environmental organization: “Greenpeace has made a significant contribution to making people aware of the need to protect our livelihoods.”
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“Hope in action” as the motto of the ceremony
“It is a great honor for us that the Chancellor of Germany is giving the keynote address here today,” said the Greenpeace Germany boss at NDR MV Live on Monday afternoon. Kaiser sees Greenpeace in times of global warming and climate change as part of a great movement that has to become even bigger. Kaiser is not afraid that movements like Fridays for future will overtake Greenpeace: “20 years ago, when we sat together, we always dreamed of saying that we need a large social movement that would bring about change in society. We were all the more pleased that the Fridays-for-future movement, the young generation, said that what happens today will gamble away our freedom in the future. ” The climate and species crisis is a challenge for everyone, he sees Greenpeace as part of a large movement.
Years of collaboration
The German Maritime Museum Foundation and the environmental organization have been working together for years. Together with the Ozeaneum, for example, they brought the exhibition “1: 1 Giants of the Seas” to life. The life-size whales, squids and rays, which are illuminated with soft, blue light, are the crowd pullers in the Ozeaneum. The exhibition in the 20 meter high hall extends over four floors. Due to the event, however, it is closed for one day.
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Greenpeace is also often criticized
Greenpeace has been committed to environmental, nature and climate protection with spectacular campaigns for decades. The last landing with a motorized paraglider at the European Football Championship in the Allianz Arena in Munich caused quite a stir. But also pictures of activists in rubber dinghies between whales and whalers with their harpoons went around the world. Because of such drastic actions, some of them illegal, the association has already been denied non-profit status in some countries.
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