This past Monday, a group of Greenpeace activists unfurled a giant banner next to Peru's historic Nazca lines

Dec 11, 2014 12:46 GMT  ·  By
Environmental group Greenpeace stands accused of having damaged a UN World Heritage Site
5 photos
   Environmental group Greenpeace stands accused of having damaged a UN World Heritage Site

If we're going to be honest here, it must be said that environmental organization Greenpeace is no stranger to the occasional legal trouble. Members and supporters of this group have many times been arrested until now, and just last year, nearly three dozen of them were imprisoned in Russia.

Still, it's not often that we get to hear about how Greenpeace got in trouble with the law for having damaged a UN World Heritage Site. Hence the fact that the news that Peru wants to sue the organization over damage some activists allegedly caused to the country's Nazca lines is now making headlines.

First things first, here are the cold, hard facts

For those unaware, a new series of UN climate talks is now underway in Lima, Peru's capital city. This past Monday, a group of Greenpeace members saw fit to try and persuade high officials to get serious about limiting climate change and global warming by unfurling a giant banner.

The banner, a photo of which is included in the gallery below, read as follows, “Time for Change! The Future Is Renewable!” For those who are not familiar with Greenpeace's working agenda, this message was meant as a reminder that dirty fuels must be phased out as soon as possible.

What got Greenpeace in trouble was the fact that the organization members who staged this little stunt unfurled the banner right next to Peru's historic Nazca lines. The lines, also visible in the photos below, are geoglyphs dating back to ancient times and were designated a UN World Heritage Site in 1994.

Peru says the environmentalists damaged the lines

Not long after the Greenpeace activists placed their banner right next to Peru's Nazca lines, Luis Jaime Castillo, the country's current vice-minister for culture, accused the environmentalists of having damaged this World Heritage Site while busy trying to get their message across.

More precisely, word has it that the Greenpeace members left their footprints in the ground surrounding the ancient geoglyphs. Consequently, the environmentalists now stand accused of having damaged this archaeological monument in Peru.

“This has been done without any respect for our laws. It was done in the middle of the night. They went ahead and stepped on our hummingbird, and looking at the pictures we can see there’s very severe damage,” Luis Jaime Castillo said in a statement, as cited by The Guardian.

Greenpeace has since apologized for the stunt

Apparently, it did not take long for the environmental group to realize that the activists who unfurled the “Time for Change! The Future Is Renewable” banner next to Peru's Nazca lines this past Monday seriously messed up. Soon enough, the organization issued a formal apology.

“Without reservation Greenpeace apologizes to the people of Peru for the offense caused by our recent activity laying a message of hope at the site of the historic Nazca lines. We are deeply sorry for this,” a spokesperson for the environmental group said in a recent statement.

Should Peru decide to take legal action against the activists that walked all over the UN World Heritage Site and should these greenheads be found guilty of having damaged the Nazca lines, they risk being sentenced to 6 years in prison.

It is understood that, presently, the organization and officials in Peru are trying to settle this issue out of court. Hopefully, more information on the topic will soon become available.

Greenpeace accused of damaging a World Heritage Site (5 Images)

Environmental group Greenpeace stands accused of having damaged a UN World Heritage Site
This past Monday, activists placed a banner next to Peru's Nazca linesThe lines date back to ancient times
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