STOP ESSO Actions, Swansea

This report covers Actions on November the 9th and 11th

The First Swansea Protest was held on the Morning of Friday 9th November. We unfurled large banners, one saying simply "Boycott ESSO" the other reading "Closed due to Global Warming" The second was a real winner, the word "closed" being sufficient to deter many drivers from pulling in! Also present was George Bush himself.. Well a life size cut out, complete with horns.

After about half an hour the Police attended, and made us move back from the entrance, we were also warned not to photograph any customers. We complied but continued to distribute fliers. Many drivers honked in support and one even pulled in just to get some stickers! On the other side a couple of the drivers who did pull in to fill up more or less admitted that they were just doing it in order to have a go at us. They were the tiny minority and the pumps remained idle most of the time.

On the Morning of Sunday 11th we returned and were again moved by the Police who this time instructed us that we must not film them either! The banners were moved around the corner to a position well away from the entrance, making more visible to approaching traffic. The results were still better with almost no one pulling in.

For there part ESSO had now provided the attendant with glossy leaflets claiming that they are greener than a billiards table. They refused to give us one but it was not long before a sympathetic customer handed us his copy. Using the term 'gaps' in our understanding as their defence for their failure to accept that Global Warming is a problem perhaps the most pertinent paragraph reads:

"We do support an international framework for action on climate change, but along with many others we have not supported the Kyoto Protocol because of concern that the cost and impracticality of meeting its obligations are simply not justified by it's limited impact on global emissions"
Needless to say little details such as who the 'Many Others' might be were ommited..

Just before we left one protestor attempted to give the attendant a copy of our leaflet but was met with a locked door. Even the letterbox was electronically locked up preventing us from posting the leaflet!

• Full report (well, More Pictures)
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