Lucy Lawless went to court on Feb. 6 to stand trial for climbing aboard a drilling tower on an Arctic-bound vessel to protest oil exploration in the Arctic. When the judge handed down a modest sentence, The Washington Post reported that Lawless called it a "great victory."
The sentence handed down to Lucy Lawless and seven other Greenpeace activists was for 651 New Zealand dollars ($547) and 120 hours of community service. Lawless and the others plead guilty to charges of trespassing.
The "Xena: Warrior Princess" actress spent four days atop the tower, blogging about her experience the entire time. The actions delayed the ship's journey.
“I consider it a great victory that the court has struck down the reparation demand from Shell, which I think was absolutely ludicrous,” Lawless said after the judge's decision.
As for the community service, Lawless said she will clean toilets, pick up litter or do anything else needed because she hopes her protest will raise concerns about the oil activities in the Arctic.
Shell Todd Oil Services wanted the protestors to pay $545,000 in reparations from the group, but the judge refused the demands. He did say that Shell could seek to recover the damages in civil court, but it is unclear right now if the company will go forward with that action. Shell representatives said they support the local law enforcement who responds to these incidents.
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Shawn S. Lealos is a member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, the professional film critics’ organization of Oklahoma. He is also working on a book about the Stephen King dollar babies called “Dollar Deal.” To read more of his writing, visit shawnlealos.net.
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