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LONDON – As BP CEO Tony Hayward resigned under a cloud Tuesday, thousands of British motorists got an unexpected reminder of the oil spill that's wreaked havoc in the Gulf of Mexico.
Protesters with the environmental group Greenpeace said they shut off fuel supplies at 46 BP gas stations across London just in time for the morning rush-hour. Small teams of activists used a standard shut-off switch to stop the flow of fuel oil at the targeted stations. The switches were then removed to prevent most BP outlets in the capital from opening.
Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images
Demonstrators stand outside a BP petrol station, which they have barricaded with fences, in London on Tuesday.
And to ensure there was no chance of drivers buying gas, demonstrators in fluorescent vests and helmets locked green metal fences around some sites.
"What BP needs to do is not just change CEOs it needs to actually come up with a new strategy," Greenpeace U.K.’s chief executive John Sauven said at one of the shuttered stations in Camden, north London.
Sauven said BP must live up to its pledge to move "beyond petroleum" and stop focusing on squeezing oil from places like the Gulf of Mexico, Canada's tar sands and the fragile Arctic wilderness.
'Holding us to ransom'
Anna Jones, who was one of the handful up at dawn to ensure gas stations were shuttered, took a harder line.
"Big companies like BP are holding us to ransom, chasing profits at the expense of us," the 29-year-old part-time dance teacher said. "The generation before us is largely responsible and the next generation coming up will have to deal with the consequences."
A BP spokesman described the group's protest as "an irresponsible and childish act which is interfering with safety systems." The firm claimed that only a handful of stations had been prevented from opening.
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Londoners had mixed views on Greenpeace's actions.
Daniel Watson, a 41-year-old teacher and tuba player, said BP should recognize the problems of global warming and dependence on petroleum products.
"We are still living in the illusion that we can live on fossil fuels indefinitely," he added. "There is this kind of approach that it is somebody else’s problem."
Golden handshake
Big firms also need to stop handing out big packages to disgraced executives, he said. Hayward's golden handshake included a $1.6 million payoff and pension pot valued at about $17 million.
"We need controls so that doing a bad job doesn’t get rewarded," Watson said.
Steve, who has driven a London cab for 37 years and only gave his first name, said he wanted to do something to "save the whales" but branded the protests targeting gas station as "stunts."
However, Hayward's payout and the behavior of many other executives left the cabbie annoyed.
"Some of cleverest guys can be the stupidest when it comes to the real world – I see that in my job all the time."
But not everyone thought Greenpeace was on the right track.
"Is everybody going to skip driving cars, heating our houses, flying? Get a grip,” said Kathy Wallace, a Canadian who was on her way home to Scotland. “The environment is going to hell anyway, we've already ruined it. All we can do is control the situation."
Leave a Comment:
Ms Kathy Wallace, it happens to be that your comment might just be what really needs to be done. If the world doesn't stop using oil as the prime source of energy to drive, heat and fly, the consequences are going to be totally uncontrollable.
Not one to go quietly, BP’s CEO Tony Hayward breaks his silence. Steals the microphone Kayne West style from Admiral Thad Allen and speaks his mind.
Read about who Mr. Hayward thinks are BP’s unsung heros!
VERY FUNNY
http://www.dailygoat.com/?p=1902
That...was... AWESOME! Best freakin piece of satire I have read in years...
It is not the oil used to drive, heat, or fly that is the issue....the amount of produced oil that goes into these markets is significantly lower than what is refined into the chemical stream...plastics and polymers. The profits from such markets are lower still. There is almost nothing that can be purchased today that does not contain plastic or polymers produced from oil and the amount of profit from the produced items are significantly higher. I am not understanding how people can think that blocking a few pumps, which mean nothing in the grand scheme of things to the oil companies, will actually do anything to change the oil companies and their policies. It would take an embargo of all plastics, all synthetic fibers, all recent medical innovations, the entire cosmetic industry, most of the housing products industry, the entire scope of electronics/personal electronics...everything we know would have to be boycotted to hurt the oil companies significantly enough to force change. Unfortunately doing that would also completely tank an already fragile world economy.
In order to significantly change oil, we need new innovation from renewable industries made cheaply. Unfortunately we are easily 20-30 years from any breakthough that would change the consumer marketplace sooner. We as consumers drive the oil industry and as long as we do not have any research into viable alternatives, the consumer market will dictate the status quo of big oil. Like it or not, oil is here to stay until this changes.
On a side note.....that was fun as hell and must have taken a great deal of coordination to make that many pumps shut off without getting caught and jailed as eco-terrorists.
good work guys!
good work guys!
GOOD JOB GUYS??
ARe you a bloomin idot Eric?? What they did is illegal they need to be held accountable thrown in jail and made to pay serious fines.
What they did was exactly what some people needed to hear! our enviornment is going to hell because of these people who want to line their pockets and are not concerned with anything else. Look at the technology we have available to us and we're still running on an idea created from the early 1900's. There is no need for us to be using fuel the way we do anymore and destroying our enviornment the way BP has done!
Lol... You said, "illegal" Yawwwwn!
For some reason the same thought (it's illegal) didn't seem to bother BP the whole time they taking short cuts during the drilling process that lead up to the disaster.
At least the actions of Greenpeace didn't cost anyone's life. BP's cluster#%&*@ cost the lives of 6 employees.
Jenn,
Yes look at all that technology.. ALL of that technology that is based on Oil Products. Anything and everything you are saying is moot since you enjoy all of the products that come from oil.
Alarmar,
Where I grew up I was taught that two wrongs do not make a right.
IT doesnt matter what BP did, and we still do not know what caused the explosion, nothing gives these fools the right to do what they did.
it is sickening that this douche bag will be financially secure while people here suffer from economic loss by this immoral and corrupt corporation... Tony Hayward better stay out of the US!!!! I say we put his head on a pole and plant it! then spread his legs and arms to the corners of america, isnt this the English way?
He is getting that money because it was in his contract. Yeah he may not be the best public speaker but that is not a reason to deny him what he is entitlted too. I'm American and think he should get what his contract says. I agree he should be let go in favor of someone who can better represent the company though.
Financially secure? Ha. I'd have no problem with somebody getting a yearly pension for working at a company for a long time that is in line with what is needed for a financially secure life. This dude is walking away filthy stinking RICH. He is walking away with more money than many of us will make in 10 lifetimes just for completely fouling up.
He not only will provide for his family, but he will be able to provide for generations of millionaires based on what he can leave to them. The rich get richer, regardless of their actions. Amazing.
Lemme guess, Ryan. You're British (or an American neo-con). I'd like to pipe all this spewing oil and pump it right into the Thames and the English Channel. See how you idiots like it.
Chris, he said he was American. I don't understand how insulting the British helps you much? That's amazingly ignorant of you. Why should you pump it into the Thames/English Channel? Did the British pump oil into the Gulf? I think not.
Hayward didn't personally cause the Gulf disaster as far as I'm aware. He did make himself look like an idiot on American TV however, and didn't look like much of a CEO for a multi billion dollar corp. I'm glad he's gone, and I don't think he needed the pay off. That money could be given to the people who have been affected by the disaster. I'm sure he has plenty of money anyway without the payout.
I agree! I do not know anyone personally that has been fired and given a hugh some of money(or any money for that matter) and a retirement plan. It makes me sick. Good job Greenpeace! They should try living here in Florida and see what a mess that they have made of our economy!
Sir dude, try proof reading next time. Like Matt pointed out, I'm American. I was born and raised in Texas. I don't see how makinf some stupidd comment about the spill justifies taking away his pension. I hate that this happened here but its not his fault. I don't think they wanted to lose all that oil and pay out all the money to clean it up and pay for the money lost by the average citizen this is affecting. He is getting what he deserves by being replaced because he is not a good representative of the company.
Drill in your own back yard and see if your country would appreciate the devastation your brought to ours! I agree that it is our own fault for being "lazy" and not coming up with alternatives to oil use, but BP knew about and ignored safety issues with that rig and now the U.S. is paying the price, all the money in the world won't make up for the devastation this has caused to our environment, animals and very fragile eco system!!! PISSES ME OFF!!!! The only problem with what Greenpeace is doing is they are hurting the "franchise" owners of BP and not BP themselves.
Debbie.... first you say 'Drill in your own back yard and see if your country would appreciate the devastation your brought to ours' then you go on to say 'I agree that it is our own fault for being "lazy" and not coming up with alternatives to oil use'. Isn't that kind of hypocritical??
Firstly, you do know that BP is not a British company anymore? It has just as many American shareholders as it does British (quick search on the net will prove that), so technically BP are drilling in their own back yard even in American waters. Secondly, everything to do with that rig such as the owners (Transocean), the workers (Trans/BP) and the people that allowed them to drill there in the first place are American. Thirdly, I'd say the largest percentage of that oil (if not all of it) is used by Americans who are the second biggest energy consuming country in the world (after China). Finally, it has effectively (but not completely yet) been confirmed (by your own media) that the reason all this mess started was due to faulty equipment on the rig (owned by Transocean) and that some of the warning equipment on the rig had been shut off. So.... how has this got anything to do with the British and why should we appreciate the devastation we (supposedly) brought to your country?? I'm not trying to insult you in any way, but if you look at the facts and do a small amount of research, it's fairly obvious that this has little to do with the British, apart from the fact that the idiot CEO was British, but he has (thankfully) been replaced now with an American.
Of course my information may be slightly wrong, but I have tried to keep up with all of the information coming from this event (both in the British and American media) because, as a human being, I feel that this is a massive disaster both for the American people and the Ecology of the Gulf. I hope this mess is made right by BP and whoever else becomes held responsible when the facts come out, and I hope the people who's jobs/livelihood have been affected get the help they deserve.
Debbie you forgot to mention the 11 human lives that wee lost in the explosion. Of course that seems to be the ways things are these days. The deaths of those 11 (husbands, daughters, sons, moms etc.) just seems to escape everyones thoughts. I just hope their families find some justice for their lost loved ones.
Teedoffon1.... justice is also required for those people and their families of course. It's a terrible loss and should never have happened.
Viva Greenpeace! You guys rock. That's why I'm a contributing member. Keep up the good work!
I wonder if Anna Jones (and others of her generation) owns a car, heats her home, rides in an airplane or bus, or buys groceries that were trucked in from elsewhere. If so, she's part of the problem, too. That said, I would love to see humanity end its love affair with oil. We're killing ourselves.
Hey, Robbie1437294...
if you read the article the point of the protesters is that due to the oil companies we have a system where the public has no choice and no say in what energy they use to live their lives. Using energy isn't the problem. Being forced to only use fossil fuels by a corrupt and criminal energy industry is the problem.
i think you mean kathy wallace, the canadian who said we've already shot the environment down. anna jones was one of the greenpeace activists.
They're a fossil fuel company. I dont hear you complaining that your barber isnt providing electric cars either.
People have plenty of say. No one is forcing you to use oil as an energy source. Your car will run on other things. If people don't like it they have other options, expensive ones. They aren't economically practical. People do have options but they take a lot of inconvenience and hassle to use them. Are you so committed to your cause that you make those sacrifices? I doubt it. The free market dictates the most economical energy source. I'm sure your all for taking someone else’s money and propping up an industry that can't stay afloat on its own. It's called Cap and Trade.
Well I hope OTHER gas stations were convenient...... IMO shutting down gas stations so that people might not be able to get gas, doesn't help anybody.......
I love how not at *one* point were these new-age hippies or their activities referred to by a proper term: Eco-Terrorists and Eco-Terrorism.
Trespassing on a business, tampering (dangerously I might add), with a business, causing loss of funds, and interfering with people's daily life, as they drove to work or home to be with their families.
It's a pity we live in a world where a hard-working driver (y'know, people with *real* jobs!) that runs down one of these Eco-Terrorists in his path, while getting onward with his productive day, would be the criminal, not the Terrorist himself.
Terrorism like this needs to be condemned, not lauded, nor referred to as "Eco-Warriors", as it's *obvious* that this entire article is non-neutral, blatently biased and completely not news-worthy, as it practically praises the actions of these Terrorists.
At what point in your sick mind did the term "terrorist" acquire a peson's right to peaceful protest. Not one of these protesters do physical harm to another person or even threaten harm. Yet, you justify a driver running down a protester. If anyone is guilty of terriorism it is you sicko.
I suppose some of your points are relevant KC. On the other hand, I am worried that, there are all too many people who, like you, are totally void of insight. It brings to mind an old saying, "one man's terrorist is just another man's freedom fighter".
TW-417...Since when is locking up the pumps, throwing out the key and putting up barricades with "Guards" at the barricade peaceful?
I would love to see Greenpeace try this in Texas..... I doubt they would want to pay that butcher's bill though.
@TW - Your definition of peaceful and mine are two different things. I consider what they did to be the same as an invasion robbery.
@Dennis - The difference between freedom fighter and terrorist seems pretty clear to me. Taking over a legal business isn't freedom fighting. It has the same cowardly stench as terrorism.
@Ghost - +1
"Trespassing on a business, tampering (dangerously I might add), with a business, causing loss of funds, and interfering with people's daily life, as they drove to work or home to be with their families."
Really?? Did BP "trespass on businesses", cause "loss of funds", "interfere with people's daily life" when it dumped hundreds of millions of barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico?? YES. BP, a private corporation, through it's criminal negligence, took away people's god-given right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". They are the criminals and need to pay dearly.
@ Ralph - Maybe they do deserve to pay dearly, but Greenpeace isn't the sheriff, they aren't the judge and they sure aren't the jury.
Not just that, but also they are interfering with gas stations causing far more lines and longer commutes, hurting the AVERAGE (yes, AVERAGE) worker who needs to get to his job on time to avoid being fired!
Who do these fools on their high horses think they are?
KC look up the term Hit and Run, it is a felony. This is why someone running over one of these activist with their care would be considered criminal.
I think what they did was stupid but look at most of ameria people are really good at doing stupid things without thinking about them.
I am all for greenpeace and their core but there is a limit as to how far a idea should take itself.
I would have all those at Greenpeace and throw them all in jail. Start with the clowns at the gates and I'm sure you will get them to talk about who and where the organizers are located. By the way Greenpeace how did you get all those gates and fences to all those stores? I'll bet you didn't carry them. Probably had them delivered on trucks burning diesel from the deepwater. You guy's are hypocrits. Do us all a favor and buy an island in the South Pacific, go live there and quit telling everyone how to live.
There's an island waiting for you and we'd be much better off without your defense of a corrupt corporation that destroys people's lives and the environment due to greed.
TW-
ITs called the Rule of Law..
Nothing about what these Eco freaks did was legal. Its not about defense of BP, its about the rule of law. I guess that is something you do not understand.
Does BP own all the gas stations in the UK? In the US those would be privately owned and operated. I would have great difficulty siding with Greenpeace that way. It would affect BP in the least and only damage the private owner. That's not a good way to do it. It is a good way for Greenpeace to find the public turning on them and running them out of town.
That, and imagine doing that in a busy city with already-long-gas lines and commutes? Imagine drivers having to wait in up to double, triple the lines! You'd have backlogs and gridlocks, and hundreds - thousands - of people unable to get to their jobs.
it's great that they did this to get the world attention on reducing oil exploration but promoting renewable energy. people need to wake up after the BP oil spill.
Hey I agree in spirit with Greenpeace, but with the caveat that they better not try that in my state, I can see how they could get away with it in London though. I worked at a gas station while in college and know exactly what switches the story is referring to. And if i was working the night shift and didn't know what was going on and saw them fiddling around they would have been shot and I would have been within my rights to do so. Simple as that.
I despise the problem that the oil spill caused in my backyard. However, if I were in London and needed gas I would have knocked a few of the Greenpeace activists in the mouth, busted down their stupid fence to get my gas I need to get to work and live MY life. I agree with their anger over the incident, but they are making it worse for those of us that actually work for a living. Go boycot the BP main headquarters and leave the independantly run stations alone. By the way, did the protestors all walk there...No, they drove and some probably flew in.
Why the need for violence. Just go to a nearby Shell station.
Eco Terrorists! I wouldn't even give the the Eco part, their just 'Terrorists'. This is completely counter productive. These attension freaks just want to rant and scream and feel like they matter. No one has ever changed their mind because someone screamed in their face or bought a bill board. Change yourself, lead by example. These pricks should all be arrested!
I put Greenpeace at the same lvl of that Fred Phelps. You all know of him, he is the pastor of that "church" that protests Military Funerals.
Both are worthless.
They are at least getting up off their butts and doing something. Attention freaks? To what end? Fred Phelps? Isn't the example a bit too extreme?
Terrorists
My f150 and a tow chain would make quick work of that fence even quicker if it was my franchise.
I hope Greenpeace is sued for the $$ the small business owners who own the gas stations lost (assuming they are franchised like in the US)
Do you think the protesters drove themselves, or took a bus/train?
Hey TW why not join those from Greenpeace and live on an island . All you have are protests, but no answers. Just a lot of hot air blowing in the wind. Why not do something productive instead of complaining about all the greedy companies. If you had any resonable suggestions then maybe there could be change, but closing down businesses is not a solution, but only a stunt that just irritates others against you and your kind.
When people speaks out and goes against the gas thieves, the Bp spokesman wants to call them childish!! Goes to show you how the rich will try to manipulate justice and say that the people are the bad guys and BP is the good guys.
There is a difference between speaking out peacefully and legally and doing illegal activities to voice your beliefs and try to make yourself heard.
This stunt only goes to show that green peace went way to far. I am all for green peace but there is a mature and constructive way to do things not this mafia style version.
Kathy Wallace is pretty ignorant. Attitudes like that are what fuel corporations like BP. "You say we're on the brink of destruction and you're right. But it's only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve. This is our moment." -Prof Barnhardt
We have trespassing, tampering with private property, and tortious interference with business relationships. Nice job, Greenpeace. You're mad at BP for not following the law, so what do you do? Break the law? Real mature approach. As if pestering BP franchisees and inconveniencing motorists is going to change anything at BP. Besides, if you bankrupt BP, who is going to pay for the Gulf cleanup?
UK doesnt have laws against taking private property and destroying their equipment?
The only laws they have left in the UK are for thought crimes commited by conservative white males.
Most big businesses holds people all over the world at ransom basically - not just the oil companies.
But I applaud Greenpeace! Well done!
This is terrorism, far worse than a radical Muslim blowing themselves up in a square. The British government is a failure of ultimate proportions. Shame on you MSNBC for posting this on your homepage.
These clowns need to be stopped, I only wish something were to happen to these morons as they shackled one of the gas stations shut, perhaps they got snared on the fence just as a spark ignited the station, or maybe they should have been arrested on many counts...
Each time a lib writes on a blog about their hatred for Big Oil and hydrocarbon power, they're using those very things against which they so heartily rail! Ruining our very planet just by pecking keys on a keyboard and releasing poisons into the air and Earth. Great hypocrisy.
You want to reduce carbon emissions, go jump off a cliff.