There were interesting scenes in Bristol Brislington on Saturday as the local Volkswagen dealership was targetted by Greenpeace campaigners concerned by the car giant’s record on climate change.
Volunteers swarmed across the forecourt covering display models of VW cars with black sheets before speaking to members of staff and the public about VW’s environmental record. Similar engagements took place in dealerships across the UK - London, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow and Newcastle.
The Bristol protest was covered on the local HTV news – see this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrieLJvIa0w
Despite branding itself as a green car company, VW lobbies against key environmental laws. Additionally, it fits its cleanest technology to only six per cent of its cars. In June this year Greenpeace launched what has since become one of the organisation’s most successful internet campaigns ever, with 370,000 people signing up online to demand that Volkswagen live up to its carefully crafted reputation.
At the UK locations activists dressed as Star Wars stormtroopers scaled the totems outside the dealerships and rebranded them. Greenpeace have used a Star Wars theme in their VW campaign to reference VW's one-minute advert featuring a mini Darth Vader.
In Germany, where VW is based, activists have visited dozens of forecourts, while protests are also taking place in France.
The Greenpeace campaign represents a major new push against Europe's largest car manufacturer. The environmental campaign group has been highlighting key failures by Volkswagen to live up to the company's carefully crafted reputation as a family-friendly and environmentally responsible car manufacturer.
A few pictures of the Bristol event can be seen here:
http://twitter.com/#!/GreenpeaceUK/status/112518739429306368/photo/1
http://twitter.com/#!/das_problem/status/112499249509433344/photo/1
http://twitter.com/#!/das_problem/status/112499040469520384/photo/1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48798428@N02/6143235743/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48798428@N02/6143235619/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48798428@N02/6143235517/in/photostream/
Learn a little more about the background and join the campaign to turn VW away from the Dark Side:
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