Climate campaigner pushes BP tree-top protest into fourth day

Update: After an eviction alert where police had given a deadline of 3pm today (Friday) to stop the action, the remaining activist has finally climbed down this afternoon. He has not been arrested or even questioned by police. Therefore the calls for support at 5pm and 8pm tonight have been cancelled. Police have imposed Section 14 in St James Sq which effectively prevents any demonstration outside BP's headquarters. Full feature on indymedia.

Wednesday 27th April, 2005

One activist will spend a third night in the tree-tops opposite BP's corporate headquarters, in protest at the greenwashing of the company's environmental and social record.

Outfoxing police and BP security, eight London Rising Tide activists took to the trees in St. James' Square at dawn on Tuesday April 26th. They occupied two trees throughout the day, hanging a massive banner reading "BP FUELS CLIMATE CHAOS" opposite BP office workers' windows.

On his return to terra firma, Sam Sutherland, one of the climbers, commented,

"With profits of well over $2 million every HOUR, BP is not making a living - it's making a killing. [1] We're taking this action to draw attention to what is hidden by those profits: spiralling climate chaos, systematic human rights abuses and untold ecological carnage."

The protesters cite as their reasons for action not just BP's impact on climate change [2], but also the company's reported connections with death squads in Colombia [3], its efforts to gain access to Iraqi oil reserves [4], and the 'environmental timebomb' of its Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Caspian Sea pipeline [5].

The remaining activist refuses to say when he will end the protest and return to the ground.

For press enquiries contact London Rising Tide on 07708 794 665.

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Notes for editors

  1. 1: BP has announced profits of $5.5 billion for the first 3 months of 2005. More info: see www.bp.com Investor Relations section
  2. In spite of its environmental brand, BP invests about 1% of its capital on renewable energy (Ranging between $100 and 200 million, out of total investment of around $15 billion, the rest being spent on climate-altering oil and gas).
  3. BP has been widely reported to have paid military units in Colombia to protect its facility, despite their involvement in human rights atrocities. More info: see www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk
  4. Prior to the invasion of Iraq, BP asked Prime Minister Blair to ensure that there would be a "level playing field" for British companies wanting oil opportunities in post-war Iraq, as well as American companies (FT, 11/3/03). In December 2004, BP was awarded its first contract in the country, managing data on one of Iraq's biggest oilfields.
  5. Substantial evidence has been brought to light by senior engineers working on the pipeline of shoddy technical standards and incompetent construction management, leading to a high risk of spills. See Independent, 26/6/04. More info: see www.baku.org.uk