Greenpeace Threatened with Legal Action Over Rig Protest

Greenpeace activists occupying a BP-contracted oil rig in the Cromarty Firth have been served with an interdict in a bid to halt the protest.

With the standoff reaching its third day, contractors on board the rig attempted to lower the legal document in a bucket to the two activists camped on the rig.

Greenpeace said the threat of legal action would not halt the protest, which calls on BP to halt new drilling for environmentally damaging fossil fuels.

The activists hope to delay the rig being moved to the Vorlich oil field, where it will begin an operation to extract up to 30 million barrels of oil.

A Greenpeace spokesman said: “Scientists have been clear that we already have more oil and gas than we can safely burn under the Paris Agreement if we want to limit catastrophic climate change.

“Yet BP maintains its desire to both explore for more and expand its oil and gas production.”

John Sauven, the charity’s UK director, said: “This injunction has been taken out in an attempt to stop our action. BP have spent billions lobbying governments to prevent action on climate change and now they want to try to silence peaceful protest.

“But we’re in a climate emergency and they’re fuelling that. We have to act. Companies like BP cannot continue to drill new oil wells – their actions threaten the lives of millions and the future of our living planet.

“We won’t be gagged by a corporate injunction trying to silence us – the future of our planet is at stake.”

Transocean, who operate the rig, have been contacted for comment.

Source: stv.tv

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