Greenpeace blockades DfT

On Monday 28th November, I joined around 50 activists to block the Department for Transport because of their lobbying against crucial EU legislation that encourages low carbon transport fuels.

The Fuel Quality Directive, which aims to reduce Europe's emissions from road transport by 6% before 2020 is being blocked and lobbied against by the Department's ministers, and are making deals with Canada to bring tar sands oil to the UK. Canada has the second largest crude oil reserves in the world in the form of tar sands, and is the most polluting way to extract oil from the earth: three to five times more polluting than regular crude extraction. This secretive lobbying and the complete disregard to climate change by the DfT is exactly why our activists have done some blocking of their own.

A huge handshake, signifying UK and Canadian tar sands interests, was placed in the main entrance and a banner, reading HM department for Tar Sands, was evenly and quickly raised. We attached it perfectly to the pillars, rebranding their building for what it really is. Less than five minutes and we had the place locked down. I had a few seconds to take the wonderful view in, and then headed for the main doors to lock-on. As I snapped the lock shut around my waist, I thought to myself, not for the first time, I really should have gone to the toilet on the bus.

The excitement over, I settled in for a long wait at the newly named Department for Tar Sands. Spirits high, we congratulated each other for such a clock-work start to the day. I managed to give our guys inside the main foyer a smile and thumbs up through the glass. They had been the first in, and had done such a wonderful job at pacifying the situation inside by letting the befuddled security guards know that we were from Greenpeace and why we were there.

Throughout the morning, our team on the street handed out flyers and raised awareness with the public and DfT staff. The staff members were unaware of what the department they were working for were doing, and after we explained, they wished us good luck. The day wore on and I was told that the police had started to cut out the activists from the side entrance. I managed to eat my muesli bar (I would be hungry later) before fifteen officers arrived, one with a large piece of cutting equipment. An arresting officer read me my rights, and my chains were cut away. As I was led away, the officers giving me a hand to walk (my legs were like jelly from being sat in the same position!) told me they were impressed by our efforts and said they even agreed with what we were there for! It's a victory in my book if even the police agree with you.

All in all, the day went well and we made our message clear to the DfT: stop lobbying against climate change legislation that will make the world a cleaner, better place for people to live.

If you want to get involved with us, get in touch with your nearest network here.