Spanish Court Acquits Greenpeace Activists in LNG Port Blockade Case

• A Valencia judge acquitted eleven Greenpeace activists who faced potential five-year prison sentences for a 2021 port blockade.
• The court ruled that the activists' actions did not constitute public disorder, as there was no violence or intimidation used to disturb public peace.
• Prosecutors requested the sentences for the blockade of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker in Sagunto, which represented one of the most severe legal threats against environmental protesters in Europe.

Background of the Protest

• On October 26, 2021, Greenpeace activists used their ship, Esperanza, to block the entry of the Merchant, a tanker arriving from the United States with 138,000 cubic meters of fracked gas.
• The protest aimed to demand that the European Energy Council address gas dependency and that energy operator Enagás commit to phasing out fossil fuels.
• Activists highlighted that the imported methane has a significantly higher global warming potential than CO2 over a century-long period.

Legal Implications

• The judge noted that while the actions might have qualified as "serious disobedience," this was not the charge filed by the prosecution.
• Greenpeace officials celebrated the ruling as a victory against the criminalization of peaceful environmental activism and a win for the right to protest.
• The verdict remains subject to a potential appeal by the prosecution.