Greenpeace activists have successfully sailed into Glasgow to attend Cop26 after police abandoned efforts to halt their progress.
The Rainbow Warrior, the environmental organisation’s flagship vessel, left Liverpool on Saturday with a number of young campaigners from around the globe on board.
Police Scotland initially declined permission for the group to sail down the Clyde but they refused to turn around, setting up the potential for a standoff.
The activists Jakapita Faith Kandanga, 24, Edwin Namakanga, 27, Maria Reyes, 19, and Farzana Faruk Jhumu, 22, from Namibia, Uganda, Mexico and Bangladesh respectively, welcomed the decision to allow them to complete their journey.
In a joint statement they said: “The authorities understand that our presence at the climate summit is too important to shut out.
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“It’s ridiculous to think that climate talks could be held without the most affected people there and it’s positive that the police and port authorities have changed their minds.
“World leaders attending the talks could learn a lot from this co-operation. We have been ignored long enough, and now, with a safe passage to Glasgow, our voices must be heard at Cop26.”
Greenpeace said it had been warned by HMS Vigilant, as it approached the Firth of Clyde, that if the Rainbow Warrior continued its voyage it would be in breach of maritime laws and Police Scotland would “act appropriately”.
But the group said that, following a meeting with Hettie Geenen, the captain, port authorities told her they would help ensure the ship’s safe passage.
The four campaigners are only a handful of the thousands of protesters who are descending on the city as world leaders discuss how to fight climate change.
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Gary Ritchie, the assistant chief constable, said: “The Rainbow Warrior is sailing towards the Cop26 venue and the restricted area of the River Clyde at which time it will breach the regulations in place to ensure the security of Cop26 and the safety of those in attendance.
“Harbour authorities had been in regular communication with the Rainbow Warrior and had instructed that, due to the restrictions and some significant safety concerns, it could not sail to its intended destination.
“Despite this, the captain of the Rainbow Warrior signalled her intent to continue. Accordingly, following consultation between police and harbour authorities, it was considered that the safest option for the crew of the Rainbow Warrior and wider public was to ensure the safe passage of the vessel to its destination.
“We are now engaging with Greenpeace and all relevant partners to ensure the safe passage of this vessel, its passengers and the wider public.”
The Erskine Bridge was temporarily closed yesterday afternoon “for public safety” to allow the Greenpeace vessel to pass under it.
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Alex Thomson, the Channel 4 News reporter, who was on board the ship, tweeted last night: “Risk of grounding means Rainbow Warrior will likely berth outside the cordon, delivering the accredited activists to the Cop in fast dinghies.”
The original Rainbow Warrior, a former trawler built in Aberdeen, was sunk off Auckland, New Zealand, by the French secret service, with the loss of one life, to prevent it from protesting against a French nuclear test.
