Protesters to blockade London energy summit


by Newswire    
1:09 pm - November 18th 2012

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Protesters plan to blockade the annual Canada Europe Energy Summit, on Tuesday November 20th, to highlight the impact of tar sands development on First Nations communities in Canada.

The performance-style protest is being co-ordinated by UK Tar Sands Network, London Rising Tide, People & Planet, Climate Justice Collective, Climate Rush, Occupy Energy, Environment and Equity Group, Corporate Watch and Climate Action Network Canada.

It will involve activists blocking the entrance to Canada House as delegates arrive. The blockade will take the form of street theatre, with participants playing enthusiastic representatives of the oil industry, encouraging people to join the ‘oil orgy’ and holding speech bubbles with ironic slogans such as: ‘Canada: emerging energy supervillain’, ‘Destroy the Fuel Quality Directive!’ and ‘Gag Climate Scientists’.

London has become a hotbed for the Canadian government to train diplomats to promote tar sands as an ethical and reliable source of fuel within the European Union.

The summit at Canada House will bring together Canadian and British diplomats, oil companies and financiers to discuss how to expand the highly-polluting tar sands industry, and increase its imports to Europe. Speakers include Gordon Campbell – Canadian High Commissioner, Conservative Energy Minister John Hayes, and many companies involved in tar sands extraction, including Shell, Suncor, Enbridge and Total.

The Canadian government has been recently exposed as mounting an unprecedented lobbying campaign to undermine the EU Fuel Quality Directive, which aims to reduce emissions from transport fuels by 6% by 2020.

The UK Coalition Government has been documented as supporting attempts by the Canadian government and British oil giants BP and Shell to undermine this key piece of EU climate legislation, which would see tar sands imports into Europe limited due to their high carbon intensity.

The event: Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London. Tuesday November 20th 8:30 am

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1. pagar

Protesters plan to blockade the annual Canada Europe Energy Summit, on Tuesday November 20th, to highlight the impact of tar sands development on First Nations communities in Canada.

Do you mean that they can now have central heating?

2. damon

I really hate performance-style protest.

3. James

So, we dont want coal, it is dirty (but would employ thousands in well paid jobs), we dont want to rely on imported oil, unless we blanket the UK in wind turbines green will never be a solution, even picking up dead wood in the forests is illegal. So how exactly do these protesters expect the UK to provide heating, lighting and fuel? The wealthy can run to Florida when it is winter, the poor worker, pensioner will be stuck freezing. I suspect this is another one sided (Rich vrs Poor) protest.


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  1. leftlinks

    Liberal Conspiracy – Protesters to blockade London energy summit on Tuesday http://t.co/g68sntSh

  2. Jason Brickley

    Protesters to blockade London energy summit on Tuesday http://t.co/KjossG6N

  3. BevR

    Protesters to blockade London energy summit on Tuesday | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/oU1OFES7 via @libcon

  4. Jamie Kelsey-Fry

    Protesters to blockade London energy summit on Tuesday | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/oU1OFES7 via @libcon

  5. Linda Burnip

    Protesters to blockade London energy summit on Tuesday | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/oU1OFES7 via @libcon





  • We have a tight comments policy aimed at fostering constructive debate.
  • We believe in free speech but not your right to abuse our space.
  • Abusive, sarcastic or silly comments may be deleted.
  • Misogynist, racist, homophobic and xenophobic comments will be deleted.
  • Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy.