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remember saro-wiwa

rikki | 10.11.2005 01:05 | Rossport Solidarity | Ecology | Indymedia | Social Struggles | London

in november 1995, nigerian writer and activist, ken saro-wiwa, and 8 of his colleagues were executed by the military regime for campaigning against the devastation of the niger delta by oil multi-national shell. yesterday, demonstrators dropped nine nooses infront of the shell uk headquarters on the south bank to highlight the anniversary and highlight the current struggle on the north west of ireland, where shell is set to transform a remote conservation area into an environmental disaster zone with public health and safety implications.

climbers
climbers

9 nooses
9 nooses

stop (s)hell banner
stop (s)hell banner

noose sillhouhette
noose sillhouhette

banner and reflection
banner and reflection

terry clancey from rossport solidarity camp
terry clancey from rossport solidarity camp

let me make a note
let me make a note

pipeline of hell
pipeline of hell

(s)hell building
(s)hell building

nooses down
nooses down

protest round the front of shell
protest round the front of shell

tiny but loud samba
tiny but loud samba

bridge banner
bridge banner

rubens sponsorship
rubens sponsorship

inside rubens exhibition
inside rubens exhibition

outside rubens exhibition
outside rubens exhibition


shortly after midday, climbers scaled the lampposts outside the shell hq buildings on the south bank, and dropped the nine nooses from a line between the posts. other protestors arrived with huge banners, a megaphone and leaflets, along with a tiny but noisy samba band.

the action soon attracted the local security teams, a couple of overwhelmed community support officers, and then various police. police used the new 'serious organised crime act' legislation which prohibits "unauthorised demonstrations' within an exclusion zone around parliament. at first they claimed that the protestors could not demonstrate anywhere near to the shell building, but after being shown a map of the exclusion zone, conceded that the action could continue on york road at the front of the building.

they handed out many leaflets and educated passers-by of the real un-'greenwashed' reality of shell. one of the participants was terry clancey who is visiting from the irish rossport solidarity group. he will be speaking at an event at rampart on saturday.

after a pause for some late lunch, it was off to the national gallery, where shell is currently sponsoring a rubens exhibition. visitors are charged £7.50 - £9 for entrance, but shell offer free tickets to their special guests, and have held at least two banquets in the building, surrounded by the classic art of rubens. as business men are treated to this sumptuous private exhibition, you can begin to see why shell are so keen to sponsor this kind of thing - it fits in neatly with their greenwash slogan of 'profit AND principles'.

for further info:
on shell generally www.shellfacts.com www.corporatewatch.org
on the struggle in ireland www.shelltosea.com
on shell art sponsorship www.artnotoil.org.uk
on protest restrictions www.freedomtoprotest.org.uk

to contact the uk solidarity campaign  stops_hell@yahoo.com

there will be a video of the day's protests posted later.

there is a rossport irish solidarity event at rampart next saturday with speakers, videos and music - more info on indymedia elswhere, and i'll post more details of this with the video.

rikki

Comments

Display the following 4 comments

  1. Respect and thanks — hellboy
  2. video now posted — rikki
  3. Rubens' 'Massacre of the Innocets' Sponsered by Shell — Mr Rubens
  4. Shell non-executive director on board of National Gallery — Snowy Jon