shell garage closed twice by protest in london

the old street shell petrol garage in london was closed down twice yesterday evening by protestors highlighting shell's repression of local people in county mayo, ireland, and linking it to the 11th anniversary of the murder of the ogoni 9 in nigeria, where shell is proven to have been involved in the killing of ken saro-wiwa.

garage enjoys calm b4 the storm

shell HELL

keep out banner

closed for business

the first macho police making up laws

at about 6.40 last night, rhythms of resistance samba band closed one entrance to the garage, while protestors from 'london rising tide' held a banner across the other. more helpers hung a huge 'keep out' banner between lamp-posts at the front of the garage as others handed out leaflets to passers-by, traffic, and to passengers at the bus-stop opposite.

the garage was successfully blockaded for nearly half an hour. the first police turned up after about twenty minutes, but despite much bravado and threats, including physically stopping an nuj journalist from photographing them and trying to snatch beaters away from samba players, they didn't get very far and had to wait for back-up. several more police cars arrived with blazing sirens, and the protestors split up and left the premises. these particular police seemed to have bizarre views of the law, threatening one reporter with arrest 'for filming members of the public'.

some police remained at the petrol station for about half an hour, while the activists took a refreshment break. once the coast was clear, they all returned and set up once more, closing the garage for a further quarter of an hour. once again, police cars came down the road in a hissy-fit of blue lights and noise, whizzed past the garage, stopped and turned a couple of hundred yards down the road and finally found it. as more cars and a van turned up, the protestors dissappeared into the night. one small group was followed by some police and threatened, but they were helped by a man who identified himself as a locally resident city lawyer who corrected the police on some finer points of the law and helped deflate the inappropriate machismo.

before and after the protest, the garage was clearly enjoying a very busy friday evening trade, and so this small but effective protest must have cost shell a pretty penny and once again re-inforced the point that supporters of the rossport struggle in county mayo are everywhere.

short film of the action will be available later on indymedia.

rikki
e-mail: rikkiindymedia@googlemail.com

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list of further contacts

11.11.2006 18:22

for more information on shell and related issues

UK Shell in County Mayo Solidarity Campaign:

stops_hell@yahoo.com
London Rising Tide: 07708 794665;

london@risingtide.org.uk
www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
www.artnotoil.org.uk
See also: www.rhythmsofresistance.co.uk
Rossport Solidarity Camp 2006: www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72740
www.freedomtoprotest.org.uk
And for more on Shell and the rest of them:
www.groundwork.org.za
www.gcmonitor.org
www.bucketbrigade.net
www.eraction.org
www.shellfacts.com
www.pacificenvironment.org/article.php?id=246
www.carbonweb.org

short film will be posted tomorrow

rikki

Photos from the blockade of the shell petrol station on Old Street London

13.11.2006 10:11

It was an effective way to get the message accross. Somebody cares about what the big corporations are doing. Last week I was at an energy summit where one of Shell's executives was talking about Shell's caring attitudes. It was amuzing to listen to his shameless greenwash.

In Issue 1171 (just out) of Private Eye there is an article about BP and the Azerbaijan to Turkey oil pipeline. It transpires that BP did not use the correct paint on the pipeline. This means that there will most likely be leaks in the pipeline due to corrosion.

Yet another police man who tries to prevent photography and does not know the law surrounding this issue.

Mike
mail e-mail: mikejwells@yahoo.com