Greenpeace Denies Calling For Boycott Over Tests

Responding to a lawsuit by French farmers and winemakers, Greenpeace denied in court Thursday that it ever called for a boycott to protest French nuclear testing.

Producers of French wine, fruit and vegetables took Greenpeace to court for an Aug. 29 advertisement that listed producers opposed to the testing and urged others to join in.

Producers say Greenpeace suggested people should boycott producers who didn’t.

Their suit says Greenpeace violated their freedom of speech by pressing them to express an opinion. A verdict is to be announced Oct. 8.

Producers say they are losing sales in Germany, Britain and northern Europe, countries where Greenpeace has a strong following.

In court Thursday, Greenpeace lawyer Arnaud Lizop said the lawsuit was the result of a misunderstanding. Lizop said Greenpeace is against boycotts and wanted only to give French businesses a chance to take a position.

“We never called for a boycott,” Greenpeace spokeswoman Penelope Komites said in a telephone interview. “That would penalize people who don’t have anything to do with the testing.”

The trial has put Greenpeace on the defensive as it seeks to force France to halt its underground test blasts, which resumed in the South Pacific this month.

The first test at Mururoa Atoll on Sept. 5 provoked widespread protests by governments and anti-nuclear groups around the world. Rioting heavily damaged Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia.