Offsetting guilt: Eco-minded descendants of billionaire oil barons are PAYING hundreds of activists $25,000-a-year to protest around the world because they feel ‘a moral obligation to put genie back in the bottle’
- Aileen Getty, Rebecca Rockefeller Lambert, Peter Gill Case paying salaries for eco-thugs through non-profits
- Getty, whose granddad created Getty Oil, has so far splashed out $1million through Climate Emergency Fund
- Lambert and Case, members of the Rockefeller family, have forked out $30million on The Equation Campaign
- They’ve put eco-activists on the payroll for around $25,000 as well as pumped money into the organizations
- It comes as eco-warriors have been continuing to wreak havoc across the world with stunts in recent months
Three American oil scions have been bankrolling mobs of eco-zealots who have terrorized the world by slashing tires, blocking traffic and attacking firms.
Aileen Getty, Rebecca Rockefeller Lambert and Peter Gill Case, who are heirs to their families’ huge fortunes, are paying the salaries for thugs through their non-profits in an apparent bid to offset their relatives’ legacies.
Getty, whose grandfather created Getty Oil, has so far splashed out $1million through her California-based Climate Emergency Fund.
Lambert and Case, who are both members of the Rockefeller dynasty that founded Standard Oil in 1870, have forked out $30million on The Equation Campaign.
They have put eco-activists from groups such as Just Stop Oil on the payroll for around $25,000 each as well as pumped money into the organizations themselves.
It comes as eco-warriors have been continuing to wreak havoc across the world in recent months, including in the US, Europe, the UK and Australia.
SUV cars tires have been slashed in America, Britain and Australia, while famous oil paintings have been targeted in EU countries.
Meanwhile huge protests with thousands of activists taking to the streets have descended on large cities across the globe throughout the year.
Aileen Getty (pictured), Rebecca Rockefeller Lambert and Peter Gill Case, who are heirs to their families’ huge fortunes, are paying the salaries for thugs through their non-profits
Rebecca Rockefeller Lambert and Peter Rockefeller Gill Case, both great-great-grandchildren of the oil baron John D. Rockefeller, have launched a fund to support protests against fossil fuels
AMERICA: Tire Extinguishers eco-zealots are slashing tires on SUVs across the globe in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An impacted car is pictured in NYC
AUSTRALIA: Australian police swap the stairs as the protesters refuse to go quietly, dragging out the ones who won’t walk out of Parliament House in Canberra
EUROPE: An Italian security guard tore protesters’ hands off a priceless Botticelli painting at a Florence art gallery and dragged them away in Florence
Getty heiress who was married to Elizabeth Taylor’s son, contracted HIV during affair and will inherit $5.4B fortune
Aileen Getty, who is in her 60s, is the second child of Sir John Paul Getty and Abigail Harris
Aileen Getty, who is in her 60s, is the second child of Sir John Paul Getty and Abigail Harris.
Her brother Jean Paul III was kidnapped in the 1970s by an Italian gangster who demanded $17million before releasing him after cutting off his ear.
Meanwhile her other brother Mark co-founded the media company Getty Images.
They are the grandchildren of the oil baron J Paul Getting, who was once the richest man in the world.
The Gettys are the 56th richest family in the United State, with a net worth of $5.4 billion.
Getty was married to Christopher Wilding, the son of legendary actors Michael Wilding and Elizabeth Taylor.
They were married for seven years and had two children but they split up when it emerged she had contracted HIV from an extramarital affair.
She also had numerous drug overdoses before she got clean in 1996.
Aileen and Taylor remained close despite the divorce from her son, and they worked together on HIV-awareness.
She also worked with Sir Elton John in 2018 as they stumped up $625,000 to help end Aids in Atlanta.
The heiress has never needed to embroil herself in full time work, but is one of the co-founders of LA dining group Sprout, which has some of the city’s most popular restaurants.
Katy Perry bought Aileen’s Hollywood mansion for $9.45million in 2013, with the Malibu farmhouse featuring six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a spa, and a heated pool.
In 2019 she donated $500,000 to climate activists Extinction Rebellion claiming that ‘disruption’ is needed for there to be action.
She said: ‘Whether the resources I have come from oil or not, I feel an urgency and it’s a privilege to give whatever resources you have.’
Getty told the New York Times she backed the effectiveness of the activists she was bankrolling and revealed she had put $1million of her own cash into the Climate Emergency Fund so far.
She said the civil disobedience of the grassroots organizations was supposed to only be an alarm but said their destruction was minimal compared to what was at stake.
She told the newspaper: ‘Let’s not forget that we’re talking about extinction. Don’t we have a responsibility to take every means of trying to protect life on Earth?’
The Climate Emergency Fund was started three years ago and believes causing issues for millions is an important way to get its message across.
It has splashed out just over $7million on causes it believes in, with executive director Margaret Salamon comparing it to suffragist, civil rights and gay rights activists throughout history.
She said: ‘Action moves public opinion and what the media covers, and moves the realm of what’s politically possible. The normal systems have failed. It’s time for every person to realize that we need to take this on.’
She dismissed the idea her group was helping spread misery across the world by saying Martin Luther King had a poor approval rating in the years before he was assassinated.
The Climate Emergency Fund has also dished out $170,000 to Save Old Growth, a Canadian group which blocks roads used by loggers in British Columbia.
Co-founder Zain Haq said: ‘We’re not trying to be popular. Civil disobedience historically is about challenging a way of life.’
Meanwhile in Britain the nonprofit handed eco-zealots from Just Stop Oil nearly $1million and helped with paying 40 protestors and organizers.
Miranda Whelehan, who is part of the group, said: ‘Obviously, you can only do so much as volunteers. Huge oil companies have millions, if not billions.’
And in the US the Climate Emergency Fund chucked $100,000 at Scientist Rebellion – which counts NASA climate scientist Peter Kalmus among its ranks – to pay for consultant wages and travel costs.
He said he had been looking for ways to save the planet for 16 years but decided the best way to do it was to cause mayhem for ordinary citizens.
He joined around 1,000 scientists in 25 different countries in blocking traffic and chaining themselves to notable buildings – including the gates of the White House.
After the attack, Kalmus said: ‘I get messages every day from people who said it had given them hope. It seemed to communicate that urgency far more than anything else.’
Meanwhile Lambert and Case have been pumping money into The Equation Campaign, which they founded in 2020 to give financial backing and legal advice to those trying to stop fossil fuel expansion.
The fund has helped those who have hammered through gas pumps, glued themselves to paintings and chained themselves to banks.
About $30million was pumped in by the two members of the Rockefeller dynasty, with both looking to right the supposed wrongs of their family.
Case said in an email to the New York Times: ‘It’s time to put the genie back in the bottle. I feel a moral obligation to do my part. Wouldn’t you?’
The Equation Campaign has seen relative success at stopping oil and gas expansion, having helped cancel an extension of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
AMERICA: The Rockefeller initiative supports protests, including that against the Keystone pipeline
AMERICA: The Keystone pipeline has drawn activists from all across the country, seen protesting in 2013
BRITAIN: Pictures showed small groups gathering as they started their separate marches, with one holding up a banner calling for the cancellation of the pioneering High Speed 2 rail network last month (pictured)
BRITAIN: ‘No new oil’: A young person holds up sign listing host of oil and fossil fuel giants as they join protest in central London last month
AUSTRALIA: Dozens of young protesters from the Tomorrow Movement crammed on to the marble stairs of Parliament House early on Monday afternoon until police dragged them away
Lambert and Case’s initiative is the latest in a long-running effort from the Rockefeller family to address their family’s history.
Lambert has a master’s degree in environment and natural resources and a background in climate and energy planning, and spends her time guiding retreats for environmentalists.
Case is an architect whose Rhode Island-based company, Truth Box, specializes in sustainable design. Their great-great-grandfather opened his first oil refinery in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1863.
Within a few decades, Standard Oil controlled 90 per cent of petroleum production in the United States.
The company was split up by the Supreme Court in 1911, with offshoots such as Exxon and Chevron forming from the remnants.
The family’s direct involvement in fossil fuels ended at that time, although some of the around 270 descendants of John D. Rockefeller work in the field, or have investments in the area.
In 2003 Neva Rockefeller, an economist at Tufts, and John D.’s great-granddaughter, co-sponsored a resolution at Exxon’s annual shareholder meeting demanding the company study climate change’s impact on its business.
Members of the Rockefeller family have since invested heavily in initiatives to highlight climate change, and in 2016 Exxon took the family to court, accusing them of funding a conspiracy against their company. Many of the climate liability lawsuits against Exxon have been tied up in procedural wrangling over whether they belong in state or federal court.
The family is divided on whether to support activism against fossil fuels. In 2018 David Kaiser, another great-great-grandchild, told New York Magazine: ‘If Exxon’s stock price suffers, the whole family will lose money.’
Ariana Rockefeller, a competitive equestrian rider who runs an eponymous fashion brand, called the campaign by her relatives ‘deeply misguided,’ and told CBS in 2016: ‘I don’t think denouncing a family legacy is the best way to go about doing this.’ Last year Rebecca and Peter poured millions of dollars into an effort aimed at supporting people on the front lines fighting new oil and gas development.
They created the ‘Equation Campaign’ and pledged a combined $30 million of their personal wealth to the effort. Among the causes they were supporting are protests against the Keystone pipeline, in the Dakotas, and activists fighting the replacement and expansion of the aging ‘Line 3’ oil pipeline in northern Minnesota.
Another $5 million was pledged by other sources so far, with an ultimate goal of raising $100million. The name of the effort comes from the idea that reducing demand for fossil fuels is only half of the ‘equation’ when it comes to addressing global warming; the other side of the equation is cutting off the supply.
It is also campaigning against other fossil fuel projects and is helping eco-warriors targeted by what it claims are exaggerated charges and false arrests.
Executive Director Katie Redford said: ‘For the climate and literally for humanity to win, we need them to win, and to stop the industry from building more stuff that puts greenhouse gases into the environment.’
The Equation Campaign and Climate Emergency Fund stressed their groups only pump money into legal activists including training, education, travel and recruitment.
They also shot back at claims paying the activists made their work less authentic, saying receipts have to be shown to ensure nothing illegal has taken place.
The eco-warriors have said to money is desperately needed, with some ditching school or juggling multiple jobs to spend their lives protesting.
The most recent protest to hit the US took place last week as demonstrators tussled with cops before being wrestled to the floor and carried out of the stadium at the Congressional baseball game in DC two weeks ago.
Some of the activists managed to enter the Nationals Park stadium, and unfurl banners. Outside, three people were arrested as the game between Democrat and Republican lawmakers unfolded.
One man rushed officers, and was swarmed on and pushed to the ground. Another pair of demonstrators tried to get in to the venue, but were marched backwards, smirking, by a burly security officer.
When they tried to walk past the Metropolitan Police officer, he shoved one of them hard, causing him to fall backwards. Still trying to enter the area, he was surrounded by police who shepherded him away.
A blond woman was seen being carried by her arms and legs from the scene, while another activist stood nearby, zip ties on his wrists.
A group called Now Or Never claimed that they were behind the demonstration. ‘Tonight we converged on the Congressional Baseball Game,’ they tweeted.
‘We are living through a climate emergency. Yosemite is on fire. An ice shelf the size of NYC just broke off of Antarctica. We’re dying by the million from pollution.
‘Congress must seal the deal. It’s time.’ They added: ‘Baseball can wait. The climate cannot.’
The group said they want Joe Biden to declare a ‘climate emergency’, and Congress to spend billions on clean energy.
‘We are deeply offended that our elected leaders continue to play games in the face of our impending doom,’ said Michael Steffes, a spokesperson for the group.
‘Our congresspeople are choosing to play ball while the world burns around them. Unless they treat this as a climate emergency and take immediate climate action, we are doomed to climate hell.’
The group said they were angry at politicians ‘wasting the world’s time with their indefensible antics,’ and said evidence of the scale of the problem was all around.
‘St Louis is underwater, California is on fire, Lake Mead is running dry, the country’s glaciers are melting, and drought is hammering the midwest, stretching the country’s ability to cope with the growing number of people whose lives have been upended by the crisis,’ they said.
‘The one time that they come together in agreement is to play a literal game.
‘Unless the United States government takes immediate & drastic climate action, they are sentencing billions of people to an unlivable future on a dead planet.’
One climate change activist is seen last month being wrestled to the floor outside Nationals Park
The man had tussled with police before he was swarmed by officers
Another man repeatedly attempted to enter the grounds, and was ultimately pushed backwards until he fell over
How the billionaire Getty family made their incredible $5.4billion wealth
Jean Paul Getty, perhaps the most famous family member, was born in Minneapolis in 1892 and joined his father’s Minnehoma Oil in Tulsa aged 21 (pictured: J Paul Getty, circa 1960)
The Gettys built their fortune through a diverse range of ventures, but the family name would become synonymous with their most famous asset – oil.
Jean Paul Getty, perhaps the most famous family member, was born in Minneapolis in 1892 and joined his father’s Minnehoma Oil in Tulsa aged 21.
With his father George Franklin Getty’s backing, Jean Paul started buying and selling leases, and was reportedly made a millionaire by his first successful oil well venture in 1916.
He took over Getty Oil over from his father – who had been an attorney before he turned to Oklahoma oil – when George Franklin died in 1930.
In 1948 Jean Paul Getty won a 60-year concession in the Neutral Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, agreeing to pay King Abdul Aziz $9.5million with a guarantee of $1million a year in royalties and 55 cents per barrel of oil.
In 1957 Fortune magazine estimated Jean Paul, then 65, to have a net worth between $700million and $1billion, declaring him the richest man in the United States.
Jean Paul, who was married and divorced five times, with five sons by four of his wives, died in 1976, leaving his son Gordon in charge of Getty Oil.
Jean Paul, who was married and divorced five times, with five sons by four of his wives, died in 1976, leaving his son Gordon in charge of Getty Oil (pictured: Gordon Getty, 1986)
In a few years’ time Gordon would fight with the company’s board over how best to increase the value of shares in the company, and Pennzoil and Texaco would fight for control of the company, sending Getty stock prices from $50 a share to $125 a share.
Texaco eventually triumphed in its bid, paying $10.1billion to take over Getty Oil in 1984, while the Getty family, who owned 40 per cent of the stock, saw tremendous profit from the sale.
As of September 2019, Forbes reported Gordon Getty’s net worth as $2.1billion, ranking 1,116 in the publication’s 2019 list of billionaires.
THAT’S how you deal with the eco mob: While British and US police stand by helpless, it’s been a different story in Europe this summer, with protesters dragged away with no hesitation
Furious civilians and police officers in Europe are putting the rest of the world to shame by refusing to allow eco protesters to disrupt events and bring roads to a standstill – with the activists being dragged away with no hesitation.
From Italian security guards tearing protesters’ hands off a Botticelli painting at a Florence art gallery to Tour de France fans angrily removing a group of eco activists from the middle of the road, the Europeans are taking matters into their own hands.
In stark contrast, security guards at London’s National Gallery simply watched on when eco-zealots covered John Constable’s priceless painting The Hay Wain with their own version and stuck their hands to the frame with glue.
Here, MailOnline takes a look at how Europe is fighting back against eco protesters.
A UK police officer sits next to members of the climate activists group Just Stop Oil after they blockaded petrol station on the M25 in April
Italy
While British police officers have stood by helplessly as eco-protesters have blocked roads and vandalised priceless paintings, the Italian authorities have dealt with the activists without hesitation.
On Friday, an Italian security guard tore protesters’ hands off a priceless Botticelli painting at a Florence art gallery and dragged them away.
The security official stormed over to the young activists and pulled their superglued hands from the Renaissance masterpiece shortly after they began their short-lived protest in the Uffizi Gallery.
The unnamed man and two women were from climate activist group Ultima Generazione (‘Last Generation’) and had rolled out a banner which read: ‘Last Generation No Gas No Coal’.
The activists, who had paid for tickets to get into the gallery, were removed from the gallery by police after the security guard dragged them away from the painting.
Enough is enough: the security guard first pulled the man’s hand off the painting (left), before proceeding to remove the young woman from the priceless Renaissance artwork (right). Police then detained the protesters, who had tickets
The no-nonsense Italian security guard dragged the pair out of the exhibition room, in a striking contrast to Britain’s response
Protesters from Just Stop Oil cover John Constable’s The Hay Wain at the National Gallery in London earlier this month
It struck a jarring contrast to the inaction shown by British guards at the Trafalgar Square gallery this month, where Just Stop Oil zealots were allowed to cover over John Constable’s The Hay Wain with their own version.
More than an hour later, Brighton students Hannah Hunt, 23, and Eben Lazarus, 22, were finally arrested.
Meanwhile, Extinction Rebellion activists were forcibly removed from a motorway by furious Italian motorists after they blocked the busy road in Rome last month.
Demonstrating over environmental issues, the protesters sat in a row across Rome’s Raccordo – the city’s main ring-road and one of its busiest – holding banners.
A video shot from the side of the two-lane road showed the demonstrators using road-block protest tactics also used in Britain, causing a huge traffic jam to snake back as far as the eye could see, with no police officers or vehicles in sight.
In response, irate Italian motorists at the front of the queue jumped out of their vehicles to take action – dragging the protesters across the tarmac and dumping them on to the side of the road.
One man ripped an orange banner from the hands of the Extinction Rebellion activists and threw it over the side of the motorway barrier. A woman, dressed in a summer dress while still carrying her handbag, tore a second sign from their grasp.
After removing the banners, a second man joined the first in forcibly dragging the protesters by their arms across the tarmac to the side of the road, making enough of a gap for several vehicles to get through and past the demonstration.
Pictured: This is the moment Extinction Rebellion activists were forcibly removed by furious motorists after they blocked a busy motorway in Rome on Thursday
Pictured: Furious Italian drivers berated the protesters before grabbing their banners
Pictured: Two motorists are shown ripping banners away from protesters in Rome on Thursday
However, as the first man was dragging the remaining protesters off the road, the activists he had first removed saw an opportunity and ran back into the middle of the road, and in front of the on-coming traffic – only to sit down again with their banner.
With the traffic again being blocked, the man grabbed one of the female protesters by the hair and dragged her again to the side of the road. This did not deter her, however, as she quickly shuffled back in front of the traffic.
The video showed the man – wearing sunglasses, shorts and a T-Shirt – shouting in the face of the female activist who had sat back down in the middle of the road.
This time, he picked her up and threw her to the side of the road. In the meantime, the second man was able to make a gap in the activists long enough for more cars and trucks to drive through and away from the scene.
By the end of the video, however, the protesters are shown persisting with their efforts, blocking at least half of the road – again with their orange banner.
Corriere Dello Sport reported that the protest was eventually broke up with the arrival of local police, the Carabinieri (federal police) and the Digos (special forces) – with the protesters being taken into custody.
France
Tour de France fans became so fed up with a group of eco-protesters who were threatening to disrupt the historic bike race by sitting in the middle of the road they angrily removed the activists.
Eight climate activists from French campaign group Dernière Rénovation (Last Renovation) sporting T-shirts emblazoned with the message ‘we have 978 days left’ to tackle environmental decline tried to stop the race during the 20th stage between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadour on Saturday.
But their attempts to wreak havoc at the stage were thwarted by spectators, who stormed onto the road and dragged them out of the path of the oncoming bikes even before the police arrived on the scene to make arrests.
Striking pictures have emerged of the enraged fans bowling into the road to pull, push and harry the protesters off the tarmac to prevent them from ruining the race.
Police officers were pictured arresting the eco-protesters by the side of the road.
Hero Tour de France fans have taken justice into the own hands to remove eco-protesters threatening to disrupt the event by blocking the road. Pictured: People push the protesters away from the path of the oncoming Tour de France, between Lacapelle Marival and Rocamadour, in Gramat
Eight climate activists from Dernière Rénovation (Last Renovation) wearing T-shirts saying ‘we have 978 days left’ to tackle the environment tried to stop the race during the 20th stage between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadour. Pictured: Tour de France fans pushing the protesters away on Saturday as they tried to block the race
Environmental collective ‘Last Renovation’ activists demonstrated on the road, and block the Tour de France, between Lacapelle Marival and Rocamadour, in Gramat, France, on Friday, July 23 before spectators dragged them away
Started earlier this year, Dernière Rénovation (DR) is a French faction of the international climate activism conglomerate ‘A22’, which includes the likes of Just Stop Oil – a UK-based group which attempted to disrupt the British Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 3.
DR employ similar tactics to those used by the likes of Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain, such as gluing themselves to the road to create congestion in large cities or putting themselves in harm’s way to disrupt major events.
Many did not take so kindly to the protestors’ actions, with several social media users in France expressing their disapproval at the ‘pathetic’ attempts to stop the historic bike race.
”Again with these charlatans… take action that is useful and not counterproductive… because no one supports you with your extremist positions,’ one user wrote, while another tweeted: ‘Their battle is lost – you don’t change the mentality of 66 millions people by blocking an event of French heritage’.
Most seemed to sympathise with the cause, but disagreed with the way in which DR tried to raise awareness.
‘I understand the group’s motivations – but not by doing this kind of thing at such a cycling event… Frankly pathetic, especially since pro cyclists almost fell because of you… that’s pathetic,’ one user said.
Activists who demonstrated on the road, and blocked the Tour de France are pictured being handcuffed by police on Saturday
The climate activists from Dernière Rénovation were wearing T-shirts saying ‘we have 978 days left’ as they were arrested by police on Saturday
The public moves the protesters on before the police arrived and to stop the block on the Tour de France on Saturday
Their tactics and demands echo Insulate Britain, who want to see a government commitment to insulate buildings, and Just Stop Oil. Pictured: On Saturday
The activists were pulled off the road by police onto the nearby grass, helped by a Tour official earlier this month on July 12
Two of the activists were sitting back-to-back tied together, while others let off smokebombs on July 12 during the Tour De France
Earlier this month, police officers picked up and dragged eco protesters who had tried to block the Tour de France race route away from the road.
Eco protesters have tried to disrupt other sporting events in France, but the authorities have acted swiftly.
In June, an environmental activist interrupted the French Open men’s semi-final between Marin Cilic of Croatia and Norwegian Casper Ruud for 15 minutes when she jumped onto Court Philippe Chatrier and tied and glued herself to the net.
The woman, a French citizen, wearing a t-shirt that read ‘we have 1028 days left’ tied herself to the edge of the net with a string around her neck.
The message, written on both sides of her white t-shirt, was a reference to a UN report on climate change.
But security guards spread out around the court before removing the woman from the net. The four security guards were pictured carrying the woman away from the court.
Security members remove a protester from a court during the French Open after she tied herself to the net during the semi final in June
In June, an environmental activist interrupted the French Open men’s semi-final between Marin Cilic of Croatia and Norwegian Casper Ruud for 15 minutes when she jumped onto Court Philippe Chatrier and tied and glued herself to the net.
Meanwhile, eco protesters were dragged from a busy motorway by furious French drivers after they blocked the road in Paris last month.
Despite the efforts of commuters, kilometres of traffic formed along the A13 motorway as the demonstration was prolonged by the high-vis-clad group, who kept shuffling back into the middle of the road.
The group behind the protest is ‘Dernier Rénovation’, the French equivalent to Insulate Britain, who campaign for the thermal renovation of buildings.
Police officers arrived at the scene and quickly removed the protesters from the middle of the road.
The police arrived at 9:30am and were able to clear the blockade, though kilometres of traffic had built up
Angry drivers headed to Paris this morning got out of their cars and dragged environmental activists out of the road
In another example of European authorities responding quickly to eco protesters, a man was dragged away by security guards after throwing a custard pie at the famous Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre art gallery in Paris in May.
Witnesses said a man, who was wearing a wig and dressed as a woman, was rolling past Leonardo da Vinci’s famous masterpiece in a wheelchair before suddenly leaping to his feet and launching a pie at the canvas.
The perpetrator then threw a bouquet of roses into the air and was tackled to the ground by Louvre security guards moments later. The man was later taken into police custody.
No damage was caused to the priceless painting which is protected by a bulletproof screen.
Visitors to the Louvre art gallery in Paris were left stunned by the incident which happened moments before closing time at the world-famous art gallery in May
Witnesses said a man, who was wearing a wig and dressed as a woman, was rolling past Leonardo da Vinci’s famous masterpiece in a wheelchair before suddenly leaping to his feet and launching a pie at the canvas (the man is pictured being led away by security)
Spain
In Spain, authorities are fighting back against eco protesters who have tried to disrupt major events and vandalise public buildings.
In June, dozens of climate protesters covered Spain’s parliament building in Madrid with red paint in a demonstration against the government’s failure to act quickly against climate change.
Riot police arrived at the scene quickly and dispersed the protesters, with some officers picking up the activists and dragging them away. At least 10 protesters were arrested following the demonstration.
Riot police arrived at the scene quickly and dispersed the protesters, with some officers picking up the activists and dragging them away in June. At least 10 protesters were arrested following the demonstration
Police take protestors out during an action of Scientist Rebellion to denounce the climate situation on April 6 in Madrid
Police officers arrest a climate change activist after he protested in front of Spain’s parliament
Many of the protesters wore white lab coats and were from the activist group Scientist Rebellion, which includes people from the scientific community.
The protesters, many of whom wore white lab coats, form part of the relatively new activist group called Scientist Rebellion.
‘If we scientists don’t act like we’re in an emergency, how can we expect the public to do so?’ the group asks on its website.
Police officers carry a climate change activist away from the Parliament building in Madid in June
Police officers remove a climate change activist of Scientist Rebellion group from protesting in front of the Congress of Deputies in Madrid in June
In June, dozens of climate protesters covered Spain’s parliament building in Madrid with red paint in a demonstration against the government’s failure to act quickly against climate change
Germany
Frustrated motorists and police officers have physically hurled protesters off the road after the demonstrators blocked major roads in Berlin in June.
Police officers quickly dragged protesters from the road after they had sat in the middle of the busy road to stop the traffic.
Other protesters had glued themselves to the road, so police used cooking oil to loosen their hands.
Several truckers got out of their vehicles to berate the activists while a few expressed support for the climate cause but questioned the way the protests were conducted.
‘They need to find a different way to do this than to block other people,’ said one driver on his way to work, who would only give his name as Stefan.
Police officers carry away climate activist Lina Schinkoethe during a protest with the group Uprising of the Last Generation at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany in June
Ernst Hoermann, 72, has his hand removed from the ground after he glued it during a protest as part of the Uprising of the Last Generation in Berlin in July
Activists of the climate protest group ‘Last Generation’ block an exit of the highway in Berlin, Germany, in July before being removed by police officers
Berlin’s mayor has called the street blockades ‘crimes,’ while the city’s top security official is demanding that prosecutors and courts mete out swift convictions. So far, no cases have gone to trial.
Lina Schinkoethe, 19, is among the eco protesters who blocked the road in Berlin and who was jailed for her protest at what she believes is the German government’s failure to act against climate change.
Schinkoethe is part of a group called Uprising of the Last Generation that claims the world has only a few years left to turn the wheel around and avoid catastrophic levels of global warming.
‘We need to generate friction, peaceful friction, so that there’s an honest debate and we can act accordingly,’ she said.
That sentiment was echoed by Ernst Hoermann, a retired railway engineer and grandfather of eight who has been traveling to Berlin from Bavaria regularly to take part in the protests.
‘We basically have to cause a nuisance until it hurts,’ he said as a police officer tried to unstick him from the road with the help of cooking oil.
The Netherlands
Police in the Netherlands have cracked down on eco-protesters who have tried to block major roads.
In May, police officers arrested 175 climate protesters from Extinction Rebellion after they set up camp on one of the busiest streets in the city of Rotterdam and blocked the traffic.
Video shows the police dragging the activists away from the road – but many of the activists had stuck themselves to the road with glue, meaning officers had to use Coca Cola to remove their hands from the tarmac.
In May, police officers arrested 175 climate protesters from Extinction Rebellion after they set up camp on one of the busiest streets in the city of Rotterdam and blocked the traffic
Video shows the police dragging the activists away from the road – but many of the activists had stuck themselves to the road with glue, meaning officers had to use Coca Cola to remove their hands from the tarmac
A police officer tries to remove a woman’s hand from a car with Coca Cola after she glued her hand to the vehicle
The protesters had been holding signs which read ‘Keep the oil in the ground’ and ‘Let the fossil fuel industry go extinct’.
Protesters also threw fake blood on the office of oil and gas giant Shell during the protests.
Police officers issued warnings to the protesters to disperse, but when they refused, the cops began arresting the demonstrators.
Portugal
While British police officers have stood by helplessly as eco-zealots disrupt major events, Portuguese police have reacted swiftly.
In June, officers in Lisbon pushed Greenpeace activists off the U.N. Ocean Conference premises as they tried to stage a protest in support of strong action to save the world’s seas and marine life.
About 7,000 delegates were at the conference, including heads of state, scientists and NGOs, to assess progress in implementing a U.N. directive to protect marine life. French President Emmanuel Macron attended the event.
In June, officers in Lisbon pushed Greenpeace activists off the U.N. Ocean Conference premises as they tried to stage a protest in support of strong action to save the world’s seas and marine life
Portuguese police officers move to push the activists off the premises of the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon on June 30
Ten Greenpeace activists from different countries tried to place large stickers with messages such as ‘Killed by political inaction’ and ‘Protect the oceans’ on billboards outside the venue, but officers stopped the action and pushed them out.
As activists were blocked from carrying out their demonstration, a police officer told them: ‘It’s a fair fight but not here, OK?’
UK
Whilst the public and authorities have responded quickly in European countries, British police officers have largely stood by while Britons suffer with long motorway queues and famous paintings are vandalised.
Earlier this month, Just Stop Oil activists provoked fury when they carried out a protest at the National Gallery by covering John Constable’s The Hay Wain with their own version featuring double yellow lines, pollution and a washing machine.
British guards stood by as they allowed the activists cover the painting and glue their hands to the frame.
More than an hour later, Brighton students Hannah Hunt, 23, and Eben Lazarus, 22, were finally arrested.
Protesters from Just Stop Oil glue their hands to the frame of John Constable’s The Hay Wain at the National Gallery on July 4
Protesters from Just Stop Oil cover John Constable’s The Hay Wain at the National Gallery in London
Just Stop Oil activists have carried out similar protests over the past month at art galleries in Glasgow, Manchester and London – while the group blocked a motorway on Wednesday, causing nine hours of traffic chaos on the M25.
Three eco-activists accused of sparking nine hours of traffic chaos by climbing on to the gantry above the M25 are set for trial after pleading not guilty.
Cressida Gethin, 20, Alexander Wilcox, 21, and Emma Mani, 45, are charged with causing a public nuisance following a Just Stop Oil demonstration on Wednesday morning.
They are accused of forcing the motorway to close in both directions by climbing on an overhead gantry and unfurling banners.
They pleaded not guilty at Ealing Magistrates’ Court in west London on Friday.
Specialist police climbers lower a protester via a winch from the climate campaign group Just Stop Oil after they climbed an overhead motorway gantry above the M25
The protester is led away by officers after three different parts of the M25 endured chaos Wednesday with closures and huge backlogs of traffic
A police van waits as protesters from climate campaign group ‘Just Stop Oil’ climbed overhead motorway gantries on the M25 between junction 14 and junction 15 causing both carriageways to be closed
In May, an eco mob which forced Lloyd’s of London to close its City headquarters was finally moved on by police eight hours after protesters blocked all 25 entrances and scaled the outside of the building.
Extinction Rebellion fanatics, some of which were dressed as rats and cleaners, descended on the iconic office at 7am in May and used superglue, chains and bike locks to block ways in and out of the building, forcing staff to work from home for the day.
While the insurance firm insists the action did not disrupt trading, it still took police nearly eight hours get the activists to leave the protest which was calling for Lloyd’s to stop insuring coal, oil and gas projects.
It is not known whether City of London Police have arrested any members of the eco-warrior group, some of whom scaled the outside of the building and unfurled banners, reading ‘End Fossil Fuels Now’ and ‘Insure Climate Justice’. Others dressed up as rats in suits, claiming the firm is putting ‘profits before planet’.
Some protesters have dressed up as rats and ‘dirty scrubbers’ for the protest as they aim jabs at the nearly 340-year-old firm this morning
Members of the climate activists group Just Stop Oil blockade a petrol station on the M25 in April as two police officers look on
Just Stop Oil protesters have targeted oil terminals across the UK and sparking fuel shortages that have left some motorists unable to fill their cars and get to work – but police officers have stood by and not acted quickly.
This includes a 40-hour protest at an oil depot in Essex which saw eco-activists arrested, while 10 other fuel depots were targeted in May, leading to condemnation from Downing Street of their ‘guerrilla tactics’.
Earlier in May, protesters caused Tower Bridge to be closed for several hours after they occupied the famous landmark and unveiled a green banner with black writing reading: ‘End fossil fuels now’.
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