ESSO fuelstation blocked for one hour in Amsterdam
Action against the war in Irak

Actiongroup ´have peace without Esso´has blocked the Esso fuelstation at Beneluxbaan in Amstelveen/Amsterdam on April 2nd from 17 till 18 o´clock.
About 45 activists blocked the entrance of the oilstation through a steel construction of three legs in which they pull up oildrums on which was written the text ´Boycott Esso, No war´. The pumps were packed with rope, two banners were held with the texts ´sink Esso in the ground´ and ´SOS, no war voor Esso´. Significant was that the police already five minutes after the action started told us that they gave us five minutes to stop the action and leave, because from top officials there were orders that no action
should be tolerated that could result in economical damage.. Five buses of riotpolice was standing ready around the corner. After us debating to the owner of the E$$o-station he seemed to have no serious problem to tolerate our action until 18 o´clock, reason why the police could not do anything.

The website from the Autonoom Centrum where the information about the action stands is now much visited by Exxon/Mobil from the USA, which makes us think that this multinational gets a bit nervous from all actions and may be their actual policy is to tolerate actions so far, because they are afraid that if not more negative publicity can come over them. They will well remember what happened to Shell and the Brent Spar.

Stop the War in Iraq

Non-violent, broad action from citizens In resistance against the war

Against the interests behind these war. Those are mainly the oil industries, weapon industries and economical-political mighty elite who made this war possible. Esso is exemplary for this.

Become part of the worldwide movement of citizens who striving after a globalization from below by direct actions on the basis of direct democracy instead of the globalization of multinationals, IMF, and so on, and the current US strive for power.


The war against the Iraqi regime stands not alone. Last years we have seen a rapid detoriation on international level. After the September 11th the war on terrorism, the war against Afghanistan, the sabotage of the Kyoto
Treaty, the boycott of the International Court, and so on, and now the war against Iraq. De small series is only a small tip of the iceberg and not yet ready for a long time….

Behind all these matters there is a struggle for power and interests. The power and interests from particularly the US economical and political top, which are often strongly tied together. The interests of multinationals –
with the oil companies as a good example – are the prevailing standard on which the world is ruled. The war against terrorism, certainly with regard to the Middle East and Central Asia, is in reality a war against the threat of interests of especially US oil companies and thus of the US
economy. The dollar is coupled to the oil price, which means that the whole US economy is dependent on the oil price and as a consequence on them who can determine this. Oil will be yet for many years the most important raw material. Who controls the oil, rules the world and the
United States wants to stay that. Strikingly at this is that China -as the fastest growing economy and biggest country from the world – was dealing with oil concessions in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq. Now they could
whistle for it. This game about power and interests is at the expense of democracy, many lives, the environment, human rights, and so on.
Resistance against the war against Iraq is by this means also resistance against this power and interests.

Why action against E$$O (Exxon/Mobil Oil)?

E$$O was one of the main financiers of the presidential election campaign of Bush.

E$$O has huge interests in future contracts in Iraq.

E$$O is the largest oil company and the biggest multinational in the world, settled in 200 countries, among others: the Netherlands.

E$$O is also involved in the situation in Afghanistan by means of her interests in the pipeline through Central Asia for exploitation and transport of oil and gas at the Caspian Sea.

As a consequence E$$O earns a lot of money from these wars.

E$$O is the most important lobbyist in stopping the Kyoto Treaty.

E$$O rules (on the background) more over the world than elected politicians.
The interests of the Bush administration are closely knit with the interests of the oil industries.

All this makes E$$O a symbol of the current misery and makes a broad action campaign possible.

We hope that many consumers boycott Esso, also internationally there are campaigns against Esso.

Be creative, cre-act, invent logo's on your suitable painted clothing, manufacture posters, and so on, also for actions, demonstrations and publications.

When Esso says NO against a war in Iraq it has more influence than a NO from the governments of hundreds of countries.

"Have peace without Esso"


Information:  ac@autonoomcentrum.nl, www.autonoomcentrum.nl