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News > United Kingdom

Greenpeace Blocks BP HQ Against Oil and Gas Exploration

  • A Greenpeace activist waves while being detained by police after blocking the entrance to BP headquarters in London, Britain May 20, 2019.

    A Greenpeace activist waves while being detained by police after blocking the entrance to BP headquarters in London, Britain May 20, 2019. | Photo: Reuters

Published 20 May 2019
Opinion

The protest came ahead of BP's annual general meeting in Aberdeen, Scotland, on Tuesday.

London police said Monday they had detained all 10 Greenpeace activists who had blocked the entrances to BP's global headquarters to convince the British energy giant to halt oil and gas exploration.

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The environmental organisation encased activists in five heavy containers that were manoeuvred into place during the night.

Abseilers also set about installing a banner spelling out "climate emergency" on the building's windows.

Greenpeace wants BP to switch to renewable energy or close its operations.

"BP is fuelling a climate emergency that threatens millions of lives and the future of the living world," said container occupant Paul Morozzo.

"We must stop searching for new oil and gas if we want a liveable planet. BP must clean up or clear out."

Six abseilers could be seen on the outside of the building in plush St. James's Square on Monday afternoon, while a couple of activists sat on top of two containers outside the the main doors.

The containers were decorated with a brick effect covering and images from photographer Gideon Mendel's "Drowning World" project. The boxes, with two activists in each, had food, drink, toilets, lights, books and games inside.

The stunt came a month after the Extinction Rebellion climate protests brought parts of central London to a halt. 

"There isn't a future in oil. The company has two choices: to go 100 percent renewable or to start winding down the business. All the oil companies need to go in this direction," Greenpeace campaigner Morten Thaysen told AFP at the police cordon.

"We don't have the luxury to wait around for them to make these decisions by themselves. The transition needs to start now."

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