Greenpeace launches a London protest as closes almost 50 petrol stations
GREENPEACE launched an attack on BP yesterday after shutting down 46 out of the group’s 50 petrol stations in central London.
The environmental group said that it had sent more than 50 activists to shut off the
power at petrol stations through out the capital in the early hours of yesterday morning to coincide with the release of BP’s second quarter results.
John Sauven, executive director at Greenpeace told City A.M. that the event was to
“show BP that it needs to look at the bigger picture”.
“We have shut nearly every station in London to get across the bigger picture. The key issue is that this is the second change at the top after some kind of controversy. The ball is now in BP’s court to truly become beyond petroleum and to invest in alternative energy,” said Sauven.
Greenpeace managed to stop motorists from filling up at BP petrol stations after its activists shut off pump safety switches and removed them, preventing the stations from opening.
BP called the act “childish and irresponsible”.
“The action shows a total disregard for the safety of motorists and staff at the sites,” said a BP spokesperson.
Greenpeace said the protests are in response to BP’s plans to tap into Canada’s oil sands and drill in the Arctic.
Sauven said: “The moment has come for BP to move beyond oil. Under Tony Hayward
the company went backwards, squeezing the last drops of oil from places like the Gulf of Mexico.”
During the protests, the volunteers replaced BP’s logo with an altered logo showing its green and yellow sunflower sinking into a sea of oil.
CORPORATE LOSSES | THE WORST IN UK HISTORY
ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND announced the biggest corporate loss in UK history when it posted a £24.1bn deficit for 2008, largely due to its ill-timed acquisition of ABN Amro.
VODAFONE GROUP lost £14.85bn in 2006 after it wrote down £28bn on historic investments.
LLOYDS BANKING GROUP on 13 February said its HBOS unit made a pre-tax loss of £8.5bn for 2008.
CABLE & WIRELESS said in 2003 it plunged to a £6.5bn annual loss.
MARCONI reported a first-half pre-tax loss of £5.12bn in 2001.
LLOYD’S saw losses of £2.9bn in 1990.
INVENSYS in 2003 lost an estimated £1.44bn.
BRITISH AEROSPACE made a 1992 pre-tax loss of £1.2bn.
QUEENS MOAT HOUSES lost £1.04bn in 1992.
ABBEY NATIONAL made a pre-tax bottom-line loss of £984m in 2002.