From: Stephanie Mills, aboard Greenpeace Vessel SV Rainbow Warrior
Date: Thursday 13th -JULY-95
Subject: Diary Update

July 13

The good news keeps flooding in: from Perth to Peru there seem to be demonstrations going on against the Bastille Day celebrations (July 14). The story I liked best was the wife of the former EU Environment Commissioner, Mme de Ripa, disrupting a Bastille Day function at the French embassy in Rome by climbing out onto a balcony in her cocktail dress and high heels to wave a banner "Stop French Testing" at the cameras below!

Former President Mitterrand has confirmed that the planned French tests WILL be in order to develop new generation nuclear warheads, not just to refine existing ones. This clearly illustrates France's betrayal of its non-proliferation commitments; it not only committed to "exercise utmost restraint" at the Non-Proliferation Treaty talks in April, but also vowed the nuclear arms race was over.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand government is considering taking France to the World Court, even though France would most likely deny its jurisdiction. This would be politically embarassing for France, at the very least. News that the NZ Government is also prepared to send an official vessel to Moruroa accompanying a peace flotilla of yachties is also very good news.

Tomorrow the ship arrives in Tahiti, a peaceful contrast to the military parades through Papeete which will make Bastille Day for the French authorities. Tahitians protesting at nuclear testing will also take to the streets tomorrow, representing more of the revolutionary spirit of the Bastille's "fraternity, equality, liberty" than the formal ceremonies by the military. The best present President Chirac could give the international community this Bastille Day would be the courage to take the decision to give us all liberty from nuclear testing.