Weds February 5, 11.30am: Seven Greenpeace activists are still blocking BP’s London HQ in St James’ Square. The volunteers are locked on to dirty oil barrels in front of the doors of the building where they have been since just after 3am.
Fifteen arrests have been made so far after 100 Greenpeace activists delivered 500 solar panels to the oil giant’s HQ. The panels were quickly grabbed and stacked in a messy pile on the pavement by a 40-strong, heavy-handed police presence, also arriving just after 3am.
Police also forcefully removed activists attached underneath the panels, then began work on cutting free those chained to oil barrels.
Despite this, 24 activists managed to peacefully block all six office doors around the building, preventing staff from entering, and 50 activists also blocked the road outside the HQ until around 8.45am.
In their response, BP relayed the feelings of their new boss, Bernard Looney, who spent his first day in the job at Gelsenkirchen oil refinery in Germany. They said: “He understands the frustration and anger of protestors in London… and will set out his low carbon ambition for the company next week. He hopes that what he has to say then will give people a sense that we get it and are very serious about working to address the problem.”
22-year old Immy Done travelled from Bristol to take part in today’s action. She said:
“Bernard Looney says he “gets it” but his company has been lying to the world about the climate crisis they created my whole life and Looney was working there the whole time. They’re out of time, we’re out of patience and they need to get out of the oil and gas business entirely. If Looney wants young people like me to believe that he “gets it”, that’s what he’ll announce next week.”
Mr Looney is expected to make a speech in a week’s time on BP’s future direction, and publish a report in the summer with detail about that direction. Journalists wishing to cover Looney’s speech can email press.uk@greenpeace.org for a briefing.
ENDS
Greenpeace UK Press Office – press.uk@greenpeace.org or 020 7865 8255
Press Officer on site – 07307 310787
Stills and video available here – https://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJ8SG8WC
