Six individuals were detained when climate activists climbed aboard an oil ship in downtown London to protest fossil fuel investments, according to British police.
Two Olympic athletes, gold medal-winning canoeist Etienne Stott and Laura Baldwin, were among those demonstrating on Friday, according to the Extinction Rebellion climate action organization. The oil tanker protest was part of a large-scale climate protest in London on Friday, which saw hundreds of protestors block four important bridges, creating delays and disruption throughout the city.
Thousands of people are expected to demonstrate in London’s Hyde Park on Saturday, according to Extinction Rebellion.
Over the last two weeks, more than 600 individuals have been detained after environmental activists climbed onto oil tankers, padlocked themselves to buildings, and blocked highways at oil depots around the United Kingdom. Extinction Rebellion-affiliated organization Just Stop Oil is calling on Britain’s Conservative government to halt all new oil and gas projects.
The protests are part of a rising climate action movement that has seen the organization Insulate Britain blockade motorways and roads in order to urge the government to fund more energy-efficient houses. The needs have gotten increasingly pressing since energy costs in the United Kingdom and others have risen dramatically.
Shell’s spokeswoman stated the corporation respects “everyone’s freedom to voice their point of view –- we only ask that they do so while keeping their own and others’ safety in mind.”
“We believe that society must act quickly to address climate change.” Shell has set a clear goal of being a net-zero emissions company by 2050, in line with society, according to the spokeswoman.
Meanwhile, police in central England have prosecuted nine individuals during a demonstration organised by Just Stop Oil on Friday outside an oil port in Kingsbury, near Birmingham.
