Veera Juvonen talked about how a peaceful protest against oil drilling in the Arctic sea turned into the most engaging campaign in Greenpeace's history. http://europe.ecampaigningforum.com

1. WHEN CONFRONTING A CRIME
MAKES YOU THE CRIMINAL
Photo (C) Greenpeace / Denis Sinyakov 18/9/2013

2. Digital Crisis
Communications
Case #FreeTheArctic30
By Veera Juvonen,
Digital Lead of Greenpeace’s Arctic Ship Tour
“Confronting Arctic Oil” 2013
2
PHOTO CREDITS CREENPEACE

3. Content
A story with a happy ending
Digital crisis response
Consequences
Learnings
Me.

4. A story with a happy ending
“We believe that oil drilling in the Arctic is an imminent threat to the environment
there and to the climate globally. We have now entered the Russian Arctic
preparing peaceful protest against the reckless oil industry.”
-August 11th, 2013

5. 30 people of 18 nationalities onboard, of which 2 photojournalists and 4 climbers,
sailed to protest against Russian oil giant Gazprom’s Arctic oil drilling.

6. Sept 2013: The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise was illegally boarded by
armed RussianCoast Guard in international waters, and towed to shore.

7. The crew of 30 were arrested, accused of hooliganism and piracy,
facing 15 years in jail. Bail hearings were held in Murmansk, Russia.

8. November 2013:
263 cities protest as Arctic30 have been held two months in prison.

9. An 18 page petition, signed by Russian journalists was presented to the judge before the
hearing, demanding the release of the photojournalist Denis Sinyakov.

10. The Russian parliament agreed to include the Arctic30 in an amnesty
- for a crime they didn’t commit.

11. Crisis Response
100 HOUR
RAPID RESPONSE PLAN
Extended into communicating over an unknown time
Detention period ended up lasting 3 months
How to keep up the interest?

12. Digital
Comms
• Mobilising a global movement
to protect the Arctic and
the right to peaceful protest
• SoMe: #FreeTheArctic30
• Petition to pressure
Russian Embassies to free
the Arctic30

13. Digital resources
• Occupying the Comms meeting in Holland
• Core team assembled to a crisis management
centre in Copenhagen
• Digital Lead strategist + 2 digital managers to handle
daily output and material distribution in the EU
timezone
• 24h voluntary-based digital shift schedule to cover
digital distribution in all timezones

14. Motivate

15. Seize
the
moment

16. Sometimes stories
just fall in your lap
18.10.2013
CCTV of six masked men entering the grounds of Greenpeace's Murmansk office, on the night that a
mock 'cage', which was going to be used to highlight the injustice of the Arctic 30's imprisonment during
a solidarity protest in Murmansk, was stolen from the grounds.

17. Involve 7.11.2013

18. Let
the
stars
shine

19. Showcase 3rd party support

20. Commission ART

21. Question the accusations

22. Let SoMe
do its share

23. Portray the people

24. Create heroes

25. It’s a long story…
June 2014 Arctic Sunrise was to be released > fundraising to fix the ship
Aug 2014 Arctic Sunrise returns to Holland > Arctic30 meeting
Sept 2014 Arctic30 anniversary. Showing solidarity of others being
persecuted for peaceful activism.
Oct 2014 The media interest on the released activists keeps up

26. The following is based on a true story
Are you interested in volunteering for Greenpeace?

27. Consequences
Exponentially heightened media attention
Heightened interest to volunteer for Greenpeace
2 million petition signatures
- More than ever
- Quicker than ever

28. Long-term consequences
92% growth in visits to Greenpeace websites worldwide within a year
Upcoming: Movie “Black Ice” and a book

29. Evaluation learnings
• Gather 3rd party support and use all networks available.
• Plan HR.
• Include adequate, committed, named human resources already in the
campaign planning phase.
• In case of key people being unavailable, find adequate substitutes or
scale down, or cancel the project.
• Appoint only people with crisis response experience in leadership roles.
• Briefings must set out the worst-case scenarios and consequences, no
matter how unlikely they seem.
• Detailed contingency plans should cover the first 5 days.
• Set up command and control structure with crystal-clear chain of
decision-makers.
• Share and train user-friendly crisis management guidelines and
protocols to staff.

30. This presentation is made by…
• Veera Juvonen
• Former Digital Marketing Manager
of Greenpeace Nordic
• Global Digital Lead of
Greenpeace’s Arctic Ship Tour in
2014, known as #FreeTheArctic30
• Entrepreneur and digital activist,
designing digital strategies for a
better world www.digiaktivisti.fi
• Mail veera@digiaktivisti.fi
• Twitter veerajuvonen