Activist organizations are known to come up with attention-grabbing stunts. After all, these can help boost their organization's campaign and media mileage. Sometimes, however, these stunts backfire as in the case of environmental organization Greenpeace, whose activists now face the possibility of jail time.
Activists of the organization have damaged an ancient monument in Peru during a stunt to draw attention to the issue of climate change as delegates from all over the world convene for a climate change conference in Lima.
In a bid to send their message to the delegates of the Lima Climate Change Conference, a group of Greenpeace activists placed big yellow cloth letters that read "Time for Change: The Future is Renewable" next to a 1,500-year-old carved figure depicting a hummingbird. The Peruvian government now plans to criminally charge these activists for damaging Peru's fragile and sacred Nazca Lines.
The Nazca Lines are ancient geoglyphs designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site 20 years ago. Experts believe that these ancient figures depicting plants, living creatures and imaginary figures were made by the Nazca culture between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago and may have had ritual astronomical functions.
"It's a true slap in the face at everything Peruvians consider sacred,'' Deputy Culture Minister Luis Jaime Castillo said of the activists' actions.
Peru's culture ministry claimed that the activists entered a strictly prohibited area, leaving behind their footprints. Castillo said that even high-ranking government officials, such as presidents and cabinet ministers, are not allowed to go there without permission, and those who have obtained permission are required to wear special shoes.
"They are absolutely fragile. They are black rocks on a white background. You walk there and the footprint is going to last hundreds or thousands of years," Castillo said, adding that the line that the activists destroyed happened to be the most recognized and most visible of all.
Greenpeace has already issued an apology, saying it will cooperate with investigations and accept reasonable consequences.
"The peaceful protest by Greenpeace in the area of the Nazca Lines was to demonstrate the impacts of climate change and honor the historical legacy of this town who learned to live with the environment without affecting it," said Henry Carhuatocto, legal advisor of Greenpeace.
Castillo made clear that Peru is not against Greenpeace's message and pointed out that everyone is concerned about climate change, but he thinks that this does not justify the group's actions.
