Protesters move to Bell Pottinger
PROTESTS against potential fracking activity in West Sussex moved into the City yesterday, as police were called in to remove six activists who superglued themselves to the front door of PR giant Bell Pottinger’s Holborn office.
Bell Pottinger is representing Cuadrilla, the British energy firm that is drilling for oil near the village of Balcombe, but yesterday the protesters shifted their focus away from the village to target the PR firm’s City offices, as well as those of its client.
The anti-fracking protesters were carrying banners with the slogans “Bell Pottinger – fracking liars” and “no fracking lies” and put their arms inside reinforced tubes to try and prevent Bell Pottinger employees from entering the building.
However, despite the bodies glued to the glass doors of the office on High Holborn, Bell Pottinger said yesterday: “Our office remains open and we continue with our business as usual.”
THE CLASH OF THE PR TITANS WITH PROTESTERS OVER THE YEARS
CUADRILLA / BELL POTTINGER
Bell Pottinger employees arrived at work yesterday morning to find six protesters superglued to the front door of the firm’s office in High Holborn. The group was protesting over the drilling operations of Bell Pottinger’s client energy firm Cuadrilla, which are taking place in West Sussex.
MANCHESTER UNITED / BRUNSWICK
Back in 2004 financial PR giant Brunswick was targeted by an unlikely group of protesters – disgruntled Manchester United shareholders. Brunswick employees “found their mobile phones and e-mail accounts deluged and had pizzas ordered in their names” by the fans after sports mogul Malcolm Glazer announced his plans to take the club private.
VEDANTA / FINSBURY
In May 2008 the offices of City spinners Finsbury were targeted by activists from rights organisation Survival, after the firm took on British mining giant Vedanta. The worldwide campaign against Vedanta led to Finsbury being given the dubious award of PR Disaster of the Year.