The Fri, CND, and the Mururoa Protests
The Fri was the flagship of ships that led a protest group to Mururoa in protest of atmospheric testing in 1973. The mostly New Zealand group of activists were spurred on by the events of an atmospheric test visible for the tip of the North Island of New Zealand in a mass of colourful spectrum as the blast had been illuminated with chemicals to see the spread of the blast. This outraged many New Zealanders as well as Australians, led by the American captain David Moodie. Those who joined had no real qualifications, but were united by the fact what they believed the French were doing at the Mururoa Atoll was wrong. Their aim was to sail to Mururoa in French Polynesia to protest against the French’s nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere as well as on the atoll. The Fri was the first of many to illustrate their opinions on nuclear weapons testing. The faction of protestors were led by David Moodie who set sail to French Polynesia in 1973 and Barry Mitcalfe from Peace Media who filmed on board the boat, and through the iconic shot above had to hide his camera in a barrel of oranges. The three year voyage to the Mururoa Atoll gained a lot of support from the New Zealand public who strongly believed in the same causes as the captain. David Moodie was approached by the New Zealand Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament(CND). The Fri waste sail from Hawaii to New Zealand to crew a group of hippie's to help them protest against the nuclear testing being carried out by the French.
The boat set sail from New Zealand for French Polynesia on March 23 1973, it's aim was to shame and highlight the wrongdoings that the French were doing by conducting the nuclear tests. Upon its leave from Auckland, the Fri was joined alongside with a 'flotilla' of protest boats. These other boats that joined were part of the New Zealand CND, who in 1963 submitted its campaign for " No Bombs South of the Line," to parliament along with 80,238 signatures. This action brought about a substantial increase in negative support for a country in an already anti nuclear mind set. Along with raising awareness of the serious health risks that were brought about as a result of the atmospheric nuclear testing, all the while promoting New Zealand as a nuclear free zone.
The journey sailed over 5391 kilometre distance. At Mururoa the Fri created a vigil of 53 days within the test exclusion zone as a sign of protest, just beyond the Mururoa Atoll, the Fri worked in tandem with the other peace ship "Spirit of Peace", this was comforting for those on the boat as all they had for contact was with the navy frigates that had been sent by the New Zealand Labour government of Norman Kirk who had sent the HMNZS Canterbury and Otago into the test zone area as well. However despite this on July 17 1973 French Commando's arrested the Fri and its crew, who were dealt with harshness by them, a crew member David Mc Taggart, who went on to found Greenpeace, was badly beaten after the yacht had been impounded at Mururoa and then later transported to another island at Hao Island.
Those on the boat asked why the French were testing on the weapons, when imprisoned on Mururoa, and it was clear to the crew that the French had no idea why they were testing these weapons and had to rethink some of their own ideas, conscience and their contribution to nuclear testing on Mururoa and how it affected those around the tests rather than the ones that were being held by those on the Fri. It was also noted that as far as the overall opposition to French nuclear testing in the Pacific, the boats in the zone gave more of a dramatic look at the context of the testing in the zone rather than the skewed reports that came out through the French. This meant that the world was gaining a different perspective of the issue.
To those on the Fri, they had felt as though that even though they had been caught, that they had succeeded as they had exposed the truth surrounding nuclear testing and it had percolated amongst the worlds media.
The boat set sail from New Zealand for French Polynesia on March 23 1973, it's aim was to shame and highlight the wrongdoings that the French were doing by conducting the nuclear tests. Upon its leave from Auckland, the Fri was joined alongside with a 'flotilla' of protest boats. These other boats that joined were part of the New Zealand CND, who in 1963 submitted its campaign for " No Bombs South of the Line," to parliament along with 80,238 signatures. This action brought about a substantial increase in negative support for a country in an already anti nuclear mind set. Along with raising awareness of the serious health risks that were brought about as a result of the atmospheric nuclear testing, all the while promoting New Zealand as a nuclear free zone.
The journey sailed over 5391 kilometre distance. At Mururoa the Fri created a vigil of 53 days within the test exclusion zone as a sign of protest, just beyond the Mururoa Atoll, the Fri worked in tandem with the other peace ship "Spirit of Peace", this was comforting for those on the boat as all they had for contact was with the navy frigates that had been sent by the New Zealand Labour government of Norman Kirk who had sent the HMNZS Canterbury and Otago into the test zone area as well. However despite this on July 17 1973 French Commando's arrested the Fri and its crew, who were dealt with harshness by them, a crew member David Mc Taggart, who went on to found Greenpeace, was badly beaten after the yacht had been impounded at Mururoa and then later transported to another island at Hao Island.
Those on the boat asked why the French were testing on the weapons, when imprisoned on Mururoa, and it was clear to the crew that the French had no idea why they were testing these weapons and had to rethink some of their own ideas, conscience and their contribution to nuclear testing on Mururoa and how it affected those around the tests rather than the ones that were being held by those on the Fri. It was also noted that as far as the overall opposition to French nuclear testing in the Pacific, the boats in the zone gave more of a dramatic look at the context of the testing in the zone rather than the skewed reports that came out through the French. This meant that the world was gaining a different perspective of the issue.
To those on the Fri, they had felt as though that even though they had been caught, that they had succeeded as they had exposed the truth surrounding nuclear testing and it had percolated amongst the worlds media.