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Overview
This bangle was made from engine room pipes salvaged from the Rainbow Warrior ship which was bombed by French agents in Auckland harbour on 10 July 1985 in an attempt by the French Minister of Defence to prevent Greenpeace from sailing to Moruroa atoll to protest against French nuclear testing.
The ship was bombed while tied up at Marsden wharf in Auckland. Two bombs ripped through the ship, killing one crew member (photographer Fernando Pereira). Two French government agents were caught and, following a high-profile trial, were sentenced to prison on a charge of manslaughter.
A limited edition of bangles was made after the Rainbow Warrior was re-floated in 1986 when anything of value was stripped out of the interior prior to its eventual sinking in Matauri Bay, Northland, in 1987 as a diving site. The bangles are etched with a rainbow symbol and ‘Rainbow Warrior 1985’.
They were sold as fundraisers by Greenpeace at street stalls in Auckland. They differ from the usual material culture of fundraising and consciousness-raising such as mass-produced t-shirts, badges, stickers and posters.