CINCINNATI (AP) — A judge set bond Wednesday at $50,000 each
for nine Greenpeace activists he rebuked for their eye-catching protest
at Procter & Gamble Co. headquarters in downtown Cincinnati.
The
activists were arrested on burglary and vandalism charges after their
Tuesday protest of the consumer products company’s use of palm oil from a
supplier Greenpeace says is tied to tropical forest destruction in
Indonesia.
Municipal Court Judge Brad Greenberg said the protest,
in which the activists used a zip line to unfurl giant banners from
P&G’s two towers as a helicopter filmed them, was "a reckless and
ill-advised stunt." He called the protest alarming.
"You put
people in danger," he said. "You take what they might consider to be a
selfless cause, and you turn it into a selfish act by putting people in
danger in this manner."
Greenpeace said all nine activists had
posted bail and been released from custody by Wednesday evening. Their
cases will go to a grand jury.
Palm oil is commonly used in
shampoo, cosmetics and other products. P&G said Tuesday it is
committed to achieving a 100 percent sustainable supply of palm oil by
2015.
In court, attorney William Gallagher told the judge that the
activists aren’t flight risks and will return for every court
proceeding, even though all of them live out of state, The Cincinnati
Enquirer reported (http://cin.ci/1g0sFgR ). He
said all of them work in professional jobs and none has a criminal record.
A
Greenpeace representative, Amy Moas, said the activists were willing to
deal with the consequences of their protest and the environmental
organization backs them completely.
Police are still trying to determine how the activists evaded usually tight security at the company’s
headquarters.
P&G
spokeswoman Lisa Popyk said in an email that P&G Security’s
preliminary investigation showed that one of the protesters appears to
have gained illegal access to the building through a third party who
shares a P&G office space.
"That person then let the others in via a secured entrance," Popyk said.
Authorities said property damage, including broken window locks, would total more than $10,000.
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