Oily Money OUT! Campaigners join forces to blockade oil and gas summit in London
October 17, 2023 by Extinction Rebellion
Climate protestors glue themselves to road outside summit and vow to ramp up actions as the oil industry’s Energy Intelligence Forum meets in London
Hundreds of climate activists are blockading a major conference of oil and gas industry leaders taking place at the InterContinental Park Lane hotel in London today (17 October).
Protestors have glued themselves to the road outside the hotel and to its revolving door, sending a clear message to would-be attendees that London is not open to the fossil fuel industry and its enablers.
Under the banner “Oily Money Out”, Extinction Rebellion has joined forces with a host of other campaign groups to support Fossil Free London in closing down the Energy Intelligence Forum conference, known as the “Oscars of Oil”.
Scores of protestors are staging a major sit-down protest outside the hotel and blockading roads leading to the conference site with banners stating: “Cut the Ties to Fossil Fuels” and “Oily Money Out”. Many of the rebels are glued onto the road and to the revolving doors.
Meanwhile a giant, hideous figure of death stalks the street outside the conference site, looming over a sea of protestors’ pink umbrellas, which are painted with eyes and bearing the message: “We Are Watching You”.
Formerly known as the Oil and Money Conference, this major event in the fossil fuel industry’s calendar is attended by a rogues’ gallery of leaders from the world’s oil and gas giants – including Shell, Total and Equinor – as well as bankers, financiers and UK government ministers.
Speakers include Claudio Descalzi chief executive of Italian oil giant Eni, Amin Nasser, president and CEO of major polluter Saudi Aramco, and Anders Opedal, president and CEO of Equinor, the company behind the controversial Rosebank oil field development, as well as the UK government’s Minister of State for Energy Security and & Net Zero, and the UK Minister of Energy & Climate Change.
However, mounting opposition to this obscene gathering appears to have already deterred the attendance of Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and COP28 President, who is no longer featured on the speakers list.
After losing a major sponsor, this year’s forum is masquerading under a new title, claiming to have a new agenda addressing “climate change and the energy transition”, and promising “a frank conversation around the central question: “How does a divided world power the planet in a way that is reliable, affordable and clean?”
But campaigners are not fooled by this cynical attempt at greenwashing.
Jonathan Kennedy, a design engineer and father of two from Brighton, said: “This is nothing but lip service to hide this industry’s real intentions. Our planet is burning. We are facing terrifying heat waves, rising sea levels, increasing water shortages, crop failures and unprecedented storms. Millions are facing extreme poverty and homelessness caused by this crisis.
“We will not allow these fossil fuel criminals to carry on behind the façade of its fancy new name like it’s business as usual. These people are schmoozing in their “Oily Money” summit while creating climate, environmental and societal breakdown. There is no place for these climate criminals in London or anywhere in the world. Let’s break their death grip on our planet, on COP28, and on our politics. We say Oily Money OUT!”
Nigel Harvey, 60, a recycling company CEO from St Albans, said: “I refuse to look the other way as oil and gas companies continue the reckless expansion of fossil fuels. They know this will cause untold human suffering, as large parts of our planet become uninhabitable.”
Imogen Stitch, a senior NHS psychological therapist, said: “The fossil fuel era is over and governments and corporations need to move to a rapid transition to clean energy and green jobs for future generations. But this is not happening.
“The current government has approved over 100 new licenses and the Labour Party is failing to make proper pledges, which shows that they are not in it for the people but for profit and big oil.
“We will not stay quiet as the catastrophe brought to us by climate criminals around the world unfolds before us and continues to take lives and devastate communities.
“We will not stop until necessary measures are taken immediately to halt new oil, gas and coal production. We will continue to ramp up direct disruptive action targeting climate criminals and anyone that enables them.”
For more information contact: press@extinctionrebellion.uk