Greenpeace is being accused of racketeering. Surprised? I am only because I didn’t think anyone who have the guts to do it. Greenpeace has always used blackmail and extortion, but their big mistake was doing it with other groups, making it a conspiracy. At issue here is the battle that has been going on between Greenpeace and Resolute Forest Products, a paper firm from Canada. Forest Ethics and the David Suzuki Foundation then joined Greenpeace in it’s efforts against Resolute.
Greenpeace owes what little success it’s had on their ability to lie and intimidate companies into bowing to their will. It looks like they may have met their match in Resolute Forest Products, the world’s largest supplier of newsprint. When they were first approached by Greenpeace, like many companies before them, Resolute decided the most prudent course was to go along with Greenpeace on setting aside a swath of the Canadian Boreal forest. In return Greenpeace and the others would drop their campaign against the Forest Products Association of Canada, FPAC, of which Resolute is a member.
No sooner was that agreement made than Greenpeace started a campaign of lies and intimidation against Resolute. Resolute fought back and Greenpeace was forced to retract their lies and apologize to Resolute. In no time at all, Greenpeace made the same accusations using the same lies and false information which forced them to apologize before. This time, they began attacking the customers of Resolute. The First one they went after was Best Buy, who eventually stopped doing business with Resolute in order to stop the harassment.
From there they moved on to Rite-Aid Pharmacy. That was the last straw for Resolute:
On May 23, 2013, Resolute filed a lawsuit against Greenpeace claiming it damaged the company’s “business, goodwill and reputation.” The suit asserts defamation, malicious falsehood and intentional interference with economic relations and seeks damages of $5 million as well as punitive damages of $2 million, plus costs. Greenpeace says the suit “is an effort to subdue Greenpeace into silence and send a message to other groups that they should stay quiet.” It believes the suit should have been thrown out, but despite several attempts, the Judge has disagreed and allowed unflattering accusations aboutGreenpeace’s global law-breaking activities to remain.
While the Canadian lawsuit makes its way through the courts and the appeals process, Resolute has just taken another bold step to defend itself against the green bully’s attacks.
On May 31, Resolute took a page from the ENGO’s playbook and, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, filed a civil RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) suit against Greenpeace and a number of its associates who, though they claim to be independent, act cooperatively. The RICO Act intended to deal with the mob as a loose organization, or “enterprise,” with a pattern of activity and common nefarious purposes, such as extortion. (Greenpeace has asked the Justice Department to use the RICO Act to investigate oil companies and organizations that sow doubts about the risks of climate change.)
Patrick Moore is one of the founders of Greenpeace that broke with that organization years ago over their lies and tactics. He said:
“I am very proud to have played a small role in helping Resolute deal with these lying blackmailers and extortionists.”