A Greenpeace environmental protester from London has been injured with a grappling hook while on a raid against tuna fishing boats, Greenpeace has said.
Frank Hewetson was injured when Greenpeace ambushed the French vessels in the Mediterranean. He is now recovering in hospital. Mr Hewetson was on one of two inflatable craft trying to collapse the fishermen's net to prevent them catching tuna.
A Greenpeace spokesman said the fishermen had an "extremely violent" reaction to their raid.
Sathoan's Wendling said French fishermen need protection from Greenpeace.
"We have requested the French state intervene and ensure the security of our sailors," he said. Jean-Marie Avallone, owner of the boat involved, accused Greenpeace of acting like "brigands."
As Greenpeace posted a video of the incident on the Internet, Wendling said Saturday that fishermen feared further action by environmentalist groups competing for publicity and donations. Greenpeace lawyer Alexandre Faro said he would be lodging a complaint for alleged wounding and assault with Paris prosecutors on Monday.
France's national fisheries body backed the fishermen Saturday, saying they "were attacked by helmeted Greenpeace activists, equipped for and engaged in a violent operation -- the destruction of a work tool."
The Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers also slammed the Greenpeace activists, saying they had "sought confrontation, and got the confrontation they wanted." Greenpeace "alone bear the blame for the consequences of yesterdays incidents," the federation said in a statement.
The federation noted that a French patrol boat which was in the vicinity called the activists by radio and commanded them to desist because the fishing expedition was being conducted legally and was being monitored properly; the activists did not obey the command and, according to press releases issued by Greenpeace, they insisted that they didn’t care whether the fish was being caught legally.
"The Greenpeace activity was violent and unlawful. They alone bear the blame for the consequences of yesterday’s incidents."
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