Greenpeace USA fined $2,500 for every hour of Portland protest

On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that Greenpeace USA was in civil contempt due to protesters blocking a Royal Dutch Shell icebreaker from leaving Portland, Oregon, for the Arctic. She also fined the organization $2,500 for each hour of the demonstration.

Throughout the day, protesters dangled from the St. Johns Bridge and activists in kayaks and canoes blocked the icebreaker MSV Fennica in the Willamette River. The goal, The Oregonian reports, was for the demonstrators to delay the ship for so long that it would lose a year of drilling work. The ship did have to turn around earlier on Thursday, but it later returned and law enforcement cut the lines of the protesters on the bridge, making a hole for the Fennica to squeeze through at around 6 p.m. The last demonstrator came down soon after. "It was tough to see the boat go through there, but every second counts," protester Razz Gormley said. "I consider this a victory."

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