What happened to Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart?
What happened to Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart?
Two DGSE officers, Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart, were arrested on 24 July. Both were charged with murder, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. The case was a source of considerable embarrassment to the French government.
Why did they sink the Rainbow Warrior?
Why did the French bomb the Rainbow Warrior? The French government saw its nuclear testing programme as essential for France’s security (even though a nuclear armed world is hardly a secure one). But negative publicity about the testing would put pressure on the French government to stop its programme.
How did the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior affect New Zealand?
Nuclear-free New Zealand The sinking of the Greenpeace protest ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland in July 1985 shocked the nation. The incident galvanised an anti-nuclear movement that had emerged in opposition to both French nuclear tests at Mururoa and American warship visits to New Zealand.
Which harbour was the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior Blown Up in 1985?
The Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (the French intelligence service) bombed Rainbow Warrior in the Port of Auckland, New Zealand on 10 July 1985, sinking the ship and killing photographer Fernando Pereira.
Who planted the bombs on the Rainbow Warrior?
In 1985, French secret service agents planted two bombs and sank our ship the Rainbow Warrior. One crew member was killed. It was an instance when a government chose to respond to peaceful protest with deadly force. But peaceful protest has prevailed.
Where did Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart come from?
In July 1985, Prieur and Mafart entered New Zealand from Corsica on Swiss passports issued to their aliases Sophie and Alain Turenge, a newlywed couple on honeymoon.
What did Alain Mafart do in the Rainbow Warrior affair?
According to Le Monde, Mafart was then serving near Paris on a base housing several command staffs, including that of military intelligence. His commanding officer during the Rainbow Warrior affair became an aide to Defence Minister Francois Léotard .
How did Alain Mafart get involved with Greenpeace?
In 2014, under the name Alain Mafart-Renodier, one of his photos was selected for inclusion in an international Greenpeace calendar. Upon belatedly realising the identity of the photographer, Greenpeace USA destroyed 14,000 calendars it held in stock but could not prevent the majority from being sold to the public.
Is the French Secret Service still using MS Prieur?
Ms Prieur, whose career as an agent was over the moment her cover was blown, is as patriotic and as strongly in favour of the French nuclear deterrent as she was then. She still works at the defence ministry, but no longer has anything to do with the secret service.