London — Oil giant Shell had to temporarily halt its Annual General Meeting (AGM) Tuesday as it was shut down by climate change activists.
At the venue in central London, the process was halted about 30 minutes after it started.
According to the rally’s live feed, protesters chanted to shareholders: “Don’t joke that you don’t do any harm.” “Think of your children and families. They cannot escape the impact of a climate emergency.”
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The protesters chanted “We will, we will stop you!” Before the police arrived, they rallied to Queen’s 1977 rock anthem “We Will Rock You”.
Some were attached to the seat, Guardian Report.
Outside, another protester chanted and chanted slogans such as “shame on the shell” and held up signs that read “guilty of ecoside”, meaning an environment where companies are killing the environment.
AGM chairman Andrew Mackenzie persuaded protesters to wait for a resolution on climate change initiatives to be discussed, but apologized to delegates.
Activist group Money Rebellion said more than 70 people took part in the protests. This was part of a broader call for action on Shell’s climate action plan.
Money Rebellion has ties to the climate protest group Extinction Rebellion, Reuters reported.
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Aidan Knox of Money Rebellion said, “We are here to embarrass them and hold them accountable as much as possible. They know what’s going on. We’re not here to educate them.”
The Guardian, citing a Shell spokesperson, said: “We respect everyone’s right to express their views and welcome all participation in our strategy and constructive energy transition. But at AGM, this kind of disruption is the opposite. .Constructive Engagement”
“We agree that society must take urgent action on climate change. Shell has a clear goal of being a net zero-emissions company by 2050.”
The group previously hampered AGM of HSBC, Barclays and Standard Chartered banks.
Hannah McKay/Reuters
Shell consultants on Monday resigned and blamed the oil giant in an email for “failing on a giant planetary scale” to limit climate risks.
Caroline Dennett, a safety consultant based in the UK, said the company’s continued oil and gas extraction is “extremely damaging” to the planet.
In response, the company said it has short-, medium- and long-term targets of reaching net zero and is committed to reducing its carbon footprint.
A spokesperson told AFP that although the transition from oil and gas would take decades, it has already invested billions of dollars in low-carbon energy.
Meanwhile, HSBC has suspended a chief executive who overlooked the impacts of climate change in a recent announcement.
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