17 activists protested outside the US embassy at the same day as the 17 Greenpeace activists were formally charged at a court hearing in the USA. The 17 activists face charges that carry sentences of up to 6 years in prison, following a Greenpeace protest at California's Vandenberg military base which delayed a test of the Star Wars missile system in July. The Star Wars 17 face two charges: "Conspiracy to violate a safety zone" and "Conspiracy to violate a direct order".