Power to the Polar Bears!

On the 16^TH July 2012 I took part in a direct action with Greenpeace as part of the campaign to stop Shell drilling for oil in the Arctic. The aim of the day was to close down as many Shell garages as possible with teams of activist in both Edinburgh and London. As well as the dash to close down garages there were also teams in each city that held a day long occupation of the garage, this was what I would be doing in Edinburgh. 

The day was a success! The fireman’s switch was disengaged and carefully dismantled preventing the fuel from reaching the pumps. The pieces of the switch were placed in a pre stamped and addressed envelope and sent off to the Head of Arctic Drilling at Shell UK. The climb team, who were now on the roof of the garage, hung a banner saying ‘SAVE THE ARCTIC’ and set up a small tent for their long wait. On the forecourt we hung more banners with images of Arctic wildlife. We wrapped the pumps with tape that also read ‘SAVE THE ARCTIC’, then me and 2 others (one dressed as a polar bear) locked on to the pumps using bicycle locks. It was then time to sit tight and wait.

It wasn’t long until the police showed up and the three of us locked on to the pumps were removed and arrested. Throughout the course of the day 8 of us in total were arrested, we were all charged with Malicious Mischief. The garage remained closed until roughly 10pm.

6 months later.......

On the 4^th of January 2013 we were called back to Edinburgh to attend court.  We all arrived bright and early and despite a few slight nerves spirits were high. It was a lucky day for one of the group, whose role on the day was to inform the franchisee what was to happen on the forecourt, at the last minute his plea was changed to not guilty and he was acquitted. For the rest of us our plea was guilty. Although in the eyes of the law we were guilty for what we were charged of none of us felt guilt for what we had done, we were all proud to stand by our action. The trial did not last long and we were all very relieved when the Sheriff spoke about a radio program she had heard that highlighted the risks of Arctic drilling, she understood the reasons behind our actions.  The result of the trial was a £200 fine each and we were free to go. We all left with our heads held high and a strong sense of achievement.  

We must stop Shells plans to drill for oil in the Arctic! Currently we do not have the technology to clean up after a spill in the freezing temperatures. During the winter it could be up to six months before a spill is even reported in which time oil will travel hundreds of thousands of miles trapped in the ice, and of course it is the winter months that the Arctic experiences extreme weather conditions that will increase the risk of a spill. Just days before the trial Shells Arctic oil rig Kulluk ran aground of the coast of Alaska, the accident happened as Shell attempted to leave Alaskan water to avoid a £6-7million tax bill. Bad weather caused the rig to go off course and all workers were evacuated. There was no oil spilt this time, but will they be so lucky next time? Do we trust a company that risks our planet to save on the tax bill? Help us make the Arctic a Global Sanctuary and STOP SHELL!