This week’s verdict against Greenpeace in the lawsuit brought by oil giant Energy Transfer Partners is a profound attack on First Amendment rights and the ability of communities to speak truth to the powerful. This lawsuit sought to punish Greenpeace for its support for the Indigenous-led Standing Rock protests against DAPl and the community’s defense of their water and land.
These types of lawsuits, known as SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), are a tool to suppress free speech and undermine the vital work of activists and advocacy groups. These tactics are not only an affront to justice but also a threat to democracy itself. These lawsuits are being used as a form of lawfare against social justice organizing from environmental defenders to those calling for an end to US support for the genocide in Gaza.
The fight continues as Greenpeace International takes on Energy Transfer in the European Union, due in court in the Netherlands this July.
The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund remains committed to defending the rights of activists and organizations to engage in their First Amendment protected ability to speak truth to power. We will continue to stand with Greenpeace and all those on the frontlines of the struggle for environmental and social justice.