A report by Neo-Con front group the International Policy Network was jammed this evening by a group of activists.
The IPN, who recieved $50,000 from ExxonMobil / Esso since 2002, and their sister company, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), who recieved $1,000,000 from ExxonMobil / Esso, had their little press conference disrupted by 6 Earth First! activists, who let the press and public know that the group had funding links to Big Oil; that they were using discredited scientists, including Nils-Axel Morner, who claims to represent the INQUA commission on sea level change despite the organisation's leader stating that the views of Mr. Morner are "diametrically opposed" to those of the INQUA; that climate change is real and that no matter where they run, climate "skeptics" can no longer hide.
The International Policy Network, whose U.S. branch shares a fax number (and used to share a postal address) with the CEI, is headed by Julian Morris, a pro-market campaigner linked to the CEI and Institute of Econmic Affairs. He is an avidly pro-GM campaigner, and ex-Living Marxism (LM) contributor. It is linked to
http://www.counterprotest.net (a.k.a. Bureaucrash), who were in attendance, with frontperson Ms. Kendra Okonski and others present. The IPN espouses free-market libertarian views, which conveniently seem to corespond with those of ExxonMobil and other sponsors.
4 of the activists read out pre-prepared statements, whilst being physically ejected from the room, the IPN using a variety of threats, from knocking the glasses off one protestor (in an attempt to halt his reading from script) to shoving and worse (Ms. Okonski threatening physical violence at one point). The last 2 waited until the end to ask poignant questions and challenged both Mr. Morner (to deny the accusations that he deliberately inflates his position at the INQUA) and Mr. Morris (to refute the funding allegations). All in all, the protest demonstrated that the pro-environment lobby will not allow these kind of fraudulent organisations to publicise lies and dubious science any more.
The 6 activists, working under the Earth First! umbrella, left the building without arrest, although at least 3 of the IPN staff committed acts of assault upon them. Their IPN name badges were, regretfully, removed by force, which caused much distress in the pub.
For comments, information and to register anti-skeptic opinion, please contact Ms. Kendra Okonski, Sustainable Development Project Director, at
media@policynetwork.net, or +44 20 7836 0759 / 7836 0750 (phone) +44 7795 844 685 (mobile). The IPN can be found at The Piazza, Covent Garden, Bedford Chambers, 3rd Floor, WC2E 8HA (next to Rock Garden), or on the net at http://www.policynetwork.net. Bureaucrash are http://www.counterprotest.net.
To find out about more about ExxonMobil / Esso funded groups, visit http://www.exxonsecrets.org, or http://www.stopesso.com.
The International Policy Network, whose U.S. branch shares a fax number (and used to share a postal address) with the CEI, is headed by Julian Morris, a pro-market campaigner linked to the CEI and Institute of Econmic Affairs. He is an avidly pro-GM campaigner, and ex-Living Marxism (LM) contributor. It is linked to
http://www.counterprotest.net (a.k.a. Bureaucrash), who were in attendance, with frontperson Ms. Kendra Okonski and others present. The IPN espouses free-market libertarian views, which conveniently seem to corespond with those of ExxonMobil and other sponsors. 4 of the activists read out pre-prepared statements, whilst being physically ejected from the room, the IPN using a variety of threats, from knocking the glasses off one protestor (in an attempt to halt his reading from script) to shoving and worse (Ms. Okonski threatening physical violence at one point). The last 2 waited until the end to ask poignant questions and challenged both Mr. Morner (to deny the accusations that he deliberately inflates his position at the INQUA) and Mr. Morris (to refute the funding allegations). All in all, the protest demonstrated that the pro-environment lobby will not allow these kind of fraudulent organisations to publicise lies and dubious science any more.
The 6 activists, working under the Earth First! umbrella, left the building without arrest, although at least 3 of the IPN staff committed acts of assault upon them. Their IPN name badges were, regretfully, removed by force, which caused much distress in the pub.
For comments, information and to register anti-skeptic opinion, please contact Ms. Kendra Okonski, Sustainable Development Project Director, at
media@policynetwork.net, or +44 20 7836 0759 / 7836 0750 (phone) +44 7795 844 685 (mobile). The IPN can be found at The Piazza, Covent Garden, Bedford Chambers, 3rd Floor, WC2E 8HA (next to Rock Garden), or on the net at http://www.policynetwork.net. Bureaucrash are http://www.counterprotest.net. To find out about more about ExxonMobil / Esso funded groups, visit
http://www.exxonsecrets.org, or http://www.stopesso.com.
Homepage:
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
Nice work
30.11.2004 09:32
spinwatch.org is good on the sort of murky capitalistic manoeuvring personified by IPN
Harry
More on the IPN
30.11.2004 09:41
Well done folks, you did well!
We are everywhere ;)
EF!
Homepage:
http://www.exxonsecrets.org
IPN Climate Skeptic meeting ends in chaos
30.11.2004 11:49
Monday night saw a meeting behind closed doors, to discuss how to undermine the IPCC (Intergovernmental panel on climate change), and how to demonstrate that global warming is good for people. A meeting that should probably been more careful about who they invited.
The first speaker was a ‘scientist’ famous for being caught misrepresenting himself as the President of the INQUA commission on Sea level changes, whilst campaigning against the Kyoto protocol in Russia. He explained that any belief in Climate Change was the work of Marxists, and similar to the science of the National Socialists Eugenic program.
The second speaker explained that people catch Malaria all the time, that mountains were a more important factor than temperature, and that it wouldn’t really matter if Malarial insects moved further north.
The third speaker, from a local school of dentistry, explained the possibilities of preventing heat deaths, through better air conditioning (while working in the fields?), the use of fans, and the ability of society to adapt to increased GMST (global temperatures) by opening a window?
Ok so these weren’t serious scientists, but there arguments were presented to very serious people with representatives from the US Embassy, the Economists, and the array of vested interests of the UK oil industry. Most of who were very happy to believe these ‘scientists’.
Then things got surreal. A gentleman from Exxon Mobil (Esso) congratulated the IPN (International Policy Network) on all valuable work they had being doing for them. He considered the $50,000 Esso gave to the IPN, as part of there climate outreach program, money well spent. Despite paying the speakers wages, he was forcibly removed.
At that point a spokesman from the neo conservative, Competitive Enterprise Institute, IPN’s US parent organisation, reminisced about the good old days when the IPN shared an address, phone and fax with the CEI. Nowadays of course they have had to move down the corridor and only share a fax, but they still love their IPN babies.
A little later an individual from Bureaucrash, the libertarian activist wing of the IPN, denounced anyone disagreeing with the IPN as an Eco-Nazi, and called on more drastic measures to defend freedom, and the right to drive SUV’s. He was unfortunately assaulted by the host of the meeting before struggling free.
A final representive from the Cooler Heads Coalition, another neo-con front group asked is anyone else from Esso, could authorise their Christmas bonus for the sterling work they had done with their friend Myron Ebell, slagging off David King and condemning Climate Change as a European conspiracy to damage the US economy.
If you want to see how Exxon Mobil (Esso) has funded astronomers and other scientists to try and discredit the overwhelming evidence that climate change is a real threat, the result of human activity, and function of the use of fossil fuels check out.
www.exxonsecrets.org
The first three jokers were real, and were really trying to get the mainstream media to believe this hogwash. I had to listen to an hour and a half of this bollocks. Me I’d rather believe a consensus of international climatologists, who know what they’re talking about. It’s a very scary world when people listen to such obvious straw men for the oil industry.
A couple of activists stayed in cover to drink lots of champagne, and to pick up on folks conversations and thoughts. Till next time an Esso front group tries to propagate the oil industries lies.
Fly on the Wall
Nice one
01.12.2004 08:02
keep up the pressure
keep revealing the bullshit
nice one.
pish