Actress Lucy Lawless arrested in oil-ship protest
In this photo provided by Greenpeace, actress Lucy Lawless joins activists in stopping a Shell-contracted drillship from departing the port of Taranaki, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. Lawless, a native New Zealander, best known for her title role in "Xena: Warrior Princess," climbed the oil-drilling ship bound for the Arctic to try and stop it from leaving. (AP Photo/Greenpeace) EDITORIAL USE ONLY
In this photo provided by Greenpeace, actress Lucy Lawless, left, joins activists in stopping a Shell-contracted drillship from departing the port of Taranaki, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. Lawless, a native New Zealander, best known for her title role in "Xena: Warrior Princess," climbed the oil-drilling ship bound for the Arctic to try and stop it from leaving. (AP Photo/Greenpeace, Nigel Marple) EDITORIAL USE ONLY
WELLINGTON, New Zealand >> Police on Monday arrested actress Lucy Lawless and five Greenpeace environmental activists after the group spent four days protesting aboard an oil-drilling ship docked in New Zealand.
Police removed the group from their perch atop a 174-foot (53-meter) drilling tower on the Noble Discoverer in Port Taranaki. Lawless and six activists climbed the tower early Friday in an attempt to raise awareness about oil drilling in the Arctic and prevent the ship from leaving.
One of the activists left the tower over the weekend. He was arrested and charged with unlawfully boarding a ship.
Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said Lawless and the other five activists would be processed Monday at a local station where police would make any charging decisions.
Chartered by oil company Shell, the ship had been due to leave over the weekend for the Arctic to drill five exploratory wells.
Lawless, 43, a native New Zealander, is best known for her title role in the TV series "Xena: Warrior Princess," and more recently for starring in the Starz cable television series "Spartacus."
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Lawless spoke to The Associated Press from atop the tower Friday, where she said wind gusts were making it difficult for the group to stay put. She said she felt compelled to take a stand against oil-drilling in the Arctic and against global warming.
"I’ve got three kids. My sole biological reason for being on this planet is to ensure that they can flourish, and they can’t do that in a filthy, degraded environment," she said. "We need to stand up while we still can."
In a series of tweets over the weekend, Lawless described some of the challenges of staying on the tower.
"I found last night pretty darn scary," she wrote. "Not for sissies."
In a release, Rob Jager, Chairman of Shell New Zealand, said the protest had put people in danger and he was pleased it was over. He said he remained disappointed that Greenpeace hadn’t taken up the company’s offer to engage in a "productive conversation."
Shell spokeswoman Shona Geary said she thought the ship would leave port within the next few days.
Bunny McDiarmid, the chief executive of Greenpeace New Zealand, said she thought the protest had gone "brilliantly" and that more than 100,000 people had sent messages to Shell to oppose the company’s Arctic plans.
