Twenty protesters from climate extremist group Greenpeace had temporarily prevented a cargo vessel from docking at the Port of Dunkirk in northern France on Monday, March 2, local newspaper Le Monde reports.
The group has alleged that the Panamanian-flagged general cargo ship Mikhail Dudin was carrying uranium manufactured in Russia for use at the nuclear power plants operated by French energy company EDF.
The protesters rode on small boats and carried signs that read "Solidarity with Ukrainians" and "Stop toxic contracts" as they prevented the ship from nearing the port to offload its cargo on Monday morning (local time).
The ship was held up for over five hours by the time local police arrived and arrested three women and a man among the protesters.
The public prosecutor's office in Dunkirk told AFP that the arrested individuals included Austrian, Dutch and German nationals. They each face one charge of "obstruction of freedom to work," which carries a possible prison sentence of one year as well as a €15,000 (US$17,000) fine.
According to AFP, Mikhail Dudin's AIS tracking data revealed that the ship had completed more than 20 round trips between Dunkirk and three Russian ports including Saint Petersburg from late February 2022, when the ongoing war with Ukraine began.
