Climate activist protests in the UK – putting the squeeze on oil terminals
Demonstrators in Parliament Square protesting against energy prices. Image: Alamy.com
3 May 2022
The Ukraine conflict has placed an increased focus on the use of fossil fuels, particular as western nations scramble to find stop gap alternatives to Russian oil and gas.
By Steve Bacot, LandRisk Manager
This increased media attention may have contributed to the latest round of climate activist protests across the UK. On 01 April 2022 climate activists blockaded 10 separate oil terminals/facilities across the UK in London, Essex, Southampton, Staines, Hemel Hempstead, and Birmingham. This was a coordinated action by the Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion climate activist groups. A truck parking site frequented by tanker trucks located close to an oil terminal was also targeted.
Protests at oil terminals in Essex have continued and the police have arrested over 350 activists over the course of the current protests. The blockading of oil terminals in Essex has led to a number of fuel station forecourts to run out of fuel as fuel tanker deliveries are disrupted.
Although climate activist protests are not normally violent there still exists the risk of some kind of confrontation or accident if a truck driver is confronted by an unexpected protest picket line or blockade.
Protest groups disrupt deliveries of Russian fossil fuels
Climate activists have also been busy within mainland Europe. The current EU sanctions against Russia do not include oil, gas, and coal (although coal will be sanctioned in August). Due to the proximity of maritime transport routes from Russia, the Baltics have experienced a number of protests against ships transporting Russian oil and coal to Baltic ports.
Greenpeace activists breached the Salmisaari coal terminal perimeter fence in Helsinki, Finland and scaled the unloading hoppers, briefly stopping the delivery of a coal shipment.
Climate activists also disrupted a ship to ship (STS) transfer of oil between two vessels at sea off Frederikshavn, Denmark and also painted slogans on another vessel at anchorage off Skagen, Denmark.
Extinction Rebellion protesters also blockaded a bridge on a busy transit route in Copenhagen and delayed a product tanker shipping Russian oil calling at Antwerp Port by blocking the lock gates on the approach to the port.
A week of protest action in London over the Easter period
The climate activist group Extinction Rebellion has planned a week of protests in London over the period 08-17 April 2022.
The action includes daily demonstrations in central London. The group have also threatened to blockade main London transit routes. Protest action began on 09 April with a blockade of Tower bridge in central London and continued with the daily protests as planned. On 10 April protesters converged on Vauxhall and Lambeth bridges following a rally in Hyde Park and blocked traffic on both bridges for several hours before being removed by the police who made 38 arrests.
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