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Hangings outside the Shell Centre for Ogoni Day

Christian de Sousa | 09.11.2005 15:15 | Rossport Solidarity | Anti-militarism | Ecology | London

Activists from Rising Tide today hung a row of 9 nooses in front of the Shell Centre in London, to represent the companies complicity in the killings of Ken Sarowiwa and eight other Ogoni activists ten years ago.






The demonstration was speaking out against the ongoing destruction, exploitation and repression by Shell and other oil companies in the Niger delta and all over the world. The execution nooses were hung from the lampstands that illuminate the Shell Centre at night. Banners were unfurled, leaflets handed out and one activist spoke through a megaphone to explain to the public - and to Shell employees - the reason for the macabre installation above their heads. Police arrived and asked activists if they had applied for written permission to demonstrate, as the area was within the new Parliamentary half-mile no-protest exclusion zone.
Your correspondant left as the anti-demonstration was making its way round the building to the other entrance, apparently over half a mile outside the exclusion zone...

Christian de Sousa
- e-mail: firestarter@dancingeye.net
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Comments

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Weak ?

09.11.2005 16:00

"...... as the anti-demonstration was making its way round the building to the other entrance, apparently over half a mile outside the exclusion zone... "

Why give in ? You should have stuck to your guns and showed the foolishness of the new rule.

Don't give in so quickly next time

Harder core

not weak

10.11.2005 00:56

the activists were more concerned about getting their anti-shell message across to as many people as possible. this was easier to do from the front of the building on york road. they also wanted to get to the national gallery for a similar protest about the shell sponsorship there. if they had decided to confront the stupid soca laws it would have led to confiscation of banners, less people hearing the issues, and no protest at national gallery.

why your negative comments? this protest was about the shell issue, not the soca issue. there is a soca protest at parliament square every sunday - see www.freedomtoprotest.org.uk - have you been to those? - have you been arrested there? - at least seventeen people have! - maybe your not quite so hardcore yourself? - at least 27 people in all have been arrested under the soca laws.

there will be a further report, pics, and later a video, covering the whole day of action appearing on indymedia soon.

rikki

not so far away

15.11.2005 16:57

The Shell Centre ( http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=530847&Y=180017&A=Y&Z=1) is on the edge of the no-speech zone ( http://www.met.police.uk/publicorder/images/Section_132_7_boundary.jpg) not half-a-mile outside it.

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