London Rising Tide Highlight BP's Sponsorship Shenanigans
London Rising Tide | 08.07.2003 14:36 | Ecology | London
London Rising Tide (LRT) took the struggle to bury BP's planned Baku-Ceyhan pipeline to the heart of the British cultural establishment on Saturday 5th July 2003. Following on from last month's protest at the BP-sponsored National Portrait Awards in June, this time they could be found at the British Museum in central London, which is currently hosting the BP-sponsored 'Museum of the Mind - Art and memory in world cultures' exhibition.
After 2 of the group, impersonating BP operatives in dark suits and dark glasses overlaid with spoof 'flaming helios' company logos, began loudly to sing the praises of BP, museum security insisted that they leave the building. Other LRT-ers offered 'spontaneous' critiques of the BP line, video'd the proceedings, gave out leaflets and unfurled a 'BP sponsors climate chaos' banner wherever they could. One of the BP types was told that his invitation to visit the museum had been permanently revoked. Police arrived for some reason, were aggressive, and left, while LRT-ers gave out leaflet and chatted to supportive visitors at the gates.
After 2 of the group, impersonating BP operatives in dark suits and dark glasses overlaid with spoof 'flaming helios' company logos, began loudly to sing the praises of BP, museum security insisted that they leave the building. Other LRT-ers offered 'spontaneous' critiques of the BP line, video'd the proceedings, gave out leaflets and unfurled a 'BP sponsors climate chaos' banner wherever they could. One of the BP types was told that his invitation to visit the museum had been permanently revoked. Police arrived for some reason, were aggressive, and left, while LRT-ers gave out leaflet and chatted to supportive visitors at the gates.
BP sponsorship puts the BM in the firing line. The British Museum today came under fire as members of "London Rising Tide" converged on a BP sponsored exhibition at the museum in central London. Members of the group explained that the action was intended to raise awareness among those visiting the BP sponsored exhibition of BPs global activities.
Activists converged on the BP sponsored exhibition abnout memory housed in the British Museum to unmask the global politics of the giant oil company BP. First posing as BP representatives and handing out spoof reports, we engaged the visitors in debate. Many refused to take what they believed was a real BP report, explaining that the actions of BP around the world were utterly reprehensible. Cheered as these citizens were to learn that we were not BP but members of Rising Tide, our friends in security took a dim view of the increasingly voluble proceedings and asked us to leave. We were manhandled out of the exhibition room, down the ridiculous spiral staircase into the vulgar new domed forecourt.
The police had been called, and secirity guards tried to remove the now fully unfurled banner "BP Sponsors Climate Chaos", arguing that they owned the space we were in and that we had no right to protest there. Determination won through and we were granted a "victory lap" of the domed space. We continued our presence outside the museum for a couple of hours, handing out leaflets about BP and Baku. Stickers have now livened up the dull stone facades of these thumping great Victorian buildings. On arrival the police immediately focused their attentions on a couple of us, including our camera man, but left once it became apparent that they hadn't a hope in hell of charging us.
This is part of a campaign to alert people to the serious issues surrounding oil consumption, transportation and extraction. In the ever more bloody "aftermath" of the latest Gulf war, and in the 120 day consultation period for the BTC pipeline, it is essential that "No Blood For Oil" does not fade away with all the other slogans chanrted on the marches. There is blood, torture, repression and environmental degradation for oil every day round the world, from Colombia to Chechnya.
For too long these issues hae been pigeon-holed as "environmental " or "green" as if they were not intimately linked with every detail fo our individual lives, and of our country's foreign policy. There has to be a fundamental change in the way we live and relate to other people, as individuals and as nations. We are putting these issues back where they deserve to be: top of the agenda.
Activists converged on the BP sponsored exhibition abnout memory housed in the British Museum to unmask the global politics of the giant oil company BP. First posing as BP representatives and handing out spoof reports, we engaged the visitors in debate. Many refused to take what they believed was a real BP report, explaining that the actions of BP around the world were utterly reprehensible. Cheered as these citizens were to learn that we were not BP but members of Rising Tide, our friends in security took a dim view of the increasingly voluble proceedings and asked us to leave. We were manhandled out of the exhibition room, down the ridiculous spiral staircase into the vulgar new domed forecourt.
The police had been called, and secirity guards tried to remove the now fully unfurled banner "BP Sponsors Climate Chaos", arguing that they owned the space we were in and that we had no right to protest there. Determination won through and we were granted a "victory lap" of the domed space. We continued our presence outside the museum for a couple of hours, handing out leaflets about BP and Baku. Stickers have now livened up the dull stone facades of these thumping great Victorian buildings. On arrival the police immediately focused their attentions on a couple of us, including our camera man, but left once it became apparent that they hadn't a hope in hell of charging us.
This is part of a campaign to alert people to the serious issues surrounding oil consumption, transportation and extraction. In the ever more bloody "aftermath" of the latest Gulf war, and in the 120 day consultation period for the BTC pipeline, it is essential that "No Blood For Oil" does not fade away with all the other slogans chanrted on the marches. There is blood, torture, repression and environmental degradation for oil every day round the world, from Colombia to Chechnya.
For too long these issues hae been pigeon-holed as "environmental " or "green" as if they were not intimately linked with every detail fo our individual lives, and of our country's foreign policy. There has to be a fundamental change in the way we live and relate to other people, as individuals and as nations. We are putting these issues back where they deserve to be: top of the agenda.
London Rising Tide
e-mail:
london@risingtide.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.risingtide.org.uk