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Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior

1980s in Auckland1980s in New Zealand1985 crimes in New Zealand1985 in New Zealand1985 in international relations
1985 in the environment1985 murders in New ZealandAnti–nuclear weapons movementCombat incidentsCrime in AucklandDirectorate-General for External SecurityEnvironmental killingsEspionage in New ZealandEspionage scandals and incidentsExplosions in 1985France–New Zealand relationsFrançois MitterrandFrench Fifth RepublicFrench intelligence operationsFrogman operationsHistory of AucklandHistory of environmentalismInternational maritime incidentsJuly 1985 crimesMaritime incidents in 1985Maritime incidents in New ZealandMilitary operations involving FrancePolitical scandals in FranceShip bombingsShips sunk as artificial reefsShipwrecks of the Northland RegionSinking of the Rainbow WarriorTerrorism committed by FranceUse New Zealand English from December 2022
Rainbow Warrior 1
Rainbow Warrior 1

The sinking of Rainbow Warrior, codenamed Opération Satanique, was a state terrorism bombing operation by the "action" branch of the French foreign intelligence agency, the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), carried out on 10 July 1985. During the operation, two operatives sank the flagship of the Greenpeace fleet, Rainbow Warrior, at the Port of Auckland on her way to a protest against a planned French nuclear test in Moruroa. Fernando Pereira, a photographer, drowned on the sinking ship. France initially denied responsibility, but two French agents were captured by New Zealand Police and charged with arson, conspiracy to commit arson, willful damage, and murder. The scandal resulted in the resignation of the French Defence Minister Charles Hernu, while the two agents pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to ten years in prison. They spent a little over two years confined to the Polynesian island of Hao before being freed by the French government.Several figures, including then New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange, have referred to the bombing as an act of terrorism or state-sponsored terrorism, with scholars since describing the attack as an act of state terrorism.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
Quay Street Cycleway, Auckland City Centre

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N -36.842405 ° E 174.771579 °
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Marsden Wharf

Quay Street Cycleway
1001 Auckland, City Centre
Auckland, New Zealand
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