Lucy Lawless, ‘Xena’ Star, Arrested During Oil-Drilling Ship Protest [Video]

Former Xena: Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless is taking the “warrior” part of her persona very seriously.

According Radar online, Lawless and a group of Greenpeace activists were arrested four days after they climbed onto an oil-drilling ship to prevent it from leaving a New Zealand dock.

Police removed the protesters from their perch atop a 174-foot drilling tower on the Noble Discoverer in Port Taranaki.

“This chapter has ended, but the story of the battle to save the Arctic has just begun,” Lawless, 43, said in a statement following her arrest, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Chartered by oil company Shell, the ship had been due to leave over the weekend to drill exploratory wells in the Arctic.

Prior to her arrest, Lawless spoke to the Associated Press from atop the tower Friday, where she was photographed brandishing a sign that read, “STOP SHELL.” She said she felt compelled to take a stand against oil-drilling in the Arctic and against global warming.

“I’ve got three kids. My sole biological reason for being on this planet is to ensure that they can flourish, and they can’t do that in a filthy, degraded environment,” she said. “We need to stand up while we still can.”

In a series of tweets over the weekend, Lawless described some of the challenges of staying on the tower.

“I found last night pretty darn scary,” she wrote. “Not for sissies.”

The Chicago-Sun reports that Lawless has since been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Do you think Lucy Lawless’ efforts to stop oil-drilling and save the arctic are commendable? Idiotic? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.