Action stations: two huge events this Thursday!
Dear friends, If you’re free on Thursday morning, there’s a lot going on in London! 1. Tell John Kerry ‘No tar sands, no KXL!’ US Secretary of State John Kerry will soon decide whether or not to give the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline the go-ahead. If built, the massive KXL pipeline will hugely increase the future viability of the tar sands industry – and set the stage for tar sands imports to Europe. John Kerry will be in London on Thursday 11th April for a G8 meeting. We plan to be there when he arrives, to give him a clear message: reject the KXL, keep tar sands out of Europe! Over the last few weeks in the US, Kerry [...]
Read More...Help a delegation of First Nations attend Shell’s AGM
Dear Friends, We’ve always been lucky in the past few years to be able to support First Nations community representatives to attend the AGMs of companies that threaten their land. This has allowed them to communicate directly to the board and other shareholders, who often have little idea about the disruption, illness, and environmental damage that these communities are experiencing. It has helped bring international attention to the issue of tar sands extraction, putting a human face to the impacts of extreme energy development. This year, it has been difficult to find the necessary funds to go towards airfares, accommodation and logistical support. The Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign has now launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to help raise funds [...]
Read More...A visit to the Cabinet Office
Hi friends, On Monday we paid a visit to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s office to hand in a petition with nearly 4,000 signatures, urging the government to support the inclusion of tar sands in the EU Fuel Quality Directive. We’d teamed up with a number of people from different groups, including Eleanor who had travelled all the way from Pembrokeshire, where her community is campaigning against refining company Valero’s plans to import tar sands oil to Wales. You can watch the film here. The Pembrokeshire media also covered the issue. You’re going to be hearing a lot more about the Fuel Quality Directive in the next few months. If you thought we’d already been through this before, you’d be [...]
Read More...Pembrokeshire community urges Nick Clegg to keep tar sands oil out of Europe
Member of local group travels to London to present petition Today Eleanor Clegg, Llangolman resident and member of Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth, was joined by a coalition of concerned citizens and campaigners to present a petition to Nick Clegg in Whitehall, London. The petition, organised UK Tar Sands Network, 350.org, Campaign Against Climate Change, People & Planet, and Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth, urged the Deputy Prime Minister to support the EU Fuel Quality Directive (FQD), legislation which will discourage imports of tar sands oil to Europe. The petition pointed out that increasing amounts of tar sands oil are expected to be imported to the UK, especially via Valero‘s refinery in Pembroke. Valero, a key supporter of the Keystone [...]
Read More...Canada’s man in Britain gets a frosty reception
Greetings from UK Tar Sands Network HQ, We can expect to see some aggressive lobbying by the Canadian government in the coming months, as the EU moves closer to cutting tar sands out of our fuel mix. So as well as our normal creative dissent we have been spending a lot of time plotting and scheming with our allies to create a strong EU-wide campaign, which will once and for all ‘Keep Tar Sands out of Europe.’ We’re delighted to have Philippa come on board to help build the coalition. Welcome to the team! We are so inspired by the flurry of community resistance and incredible creative activism that has happened in the last few weeks we wanted to share [...]
Read More...Canadian High Commissioner’s Visit to Oxford Tarred by Local Protest
Oxford, UK- Canadian High Commissioner to the UK, Gordon Campbell, was greeted with protests at Oxford University on Friday. Local community members held a banner which read “Keep Tar Sands out of Europe” at the entrance to Lady Margaret Hall as Campbell arrived to deliver a seminar at the college. “Canada is promoting tar sands oil as a clean and ethical energy source, when we know that the exact opposite is the case,” said Suzanne Dhaliwal, from the UK Tar Sands Network. “Entire ecosystems are being destroyed and communities are being devastated in order to extract this highly polluting source of oil.” Campbell, the former premier of British Columbia, has been on a persistent campaign to promote Canadian tar sands [...]
Read More...It’s a momentous day in the fight against the tar sands
Good afternoon! Today in Washington DC, tens of thousands of people are taking part in the biggest climate rally in US history. They are asking President Obama to move #ForwardOnClimate and, specifically, to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The President’s imminent decision will have momentous consequences. KXL is ‘a fuse to the largest carbon bomb on the planet.’ So today we’re asking you to show solidarity with our friends in the US and Canada who are working so hard to stop the KXL and other pipelines being built, by sharing this image on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also add your voice to the campaign to keep tar sands oil out of Europe for good, by signing [...]
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- January 17, 2013
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‘Idle No More’ protest in London UK as movement vows to target tar sands
Idle No More, Canada House, London, Tarsands, Indigenous rights, First Nations, from Zoe Broughton on Vimeo. This morning, British and Canadian supporters joined Clayton Thomas-Muller, from the Mathais Colomb Cree First Nation in Manitoba, to present a petition in support of the Idle No More movement to the Canadian government at its High Commission in London. A group of around 20 gathered on the steps of Canada House in Trafalgar Square. Clayton from the Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign opened with a traditional song and spoke, followed by Melissa Adams from the Nisga First Nation in British Columbia, Jess Worth from the UK Tar Sands Network and James Atherton from Lush Cosmetics. The Idle No More movement has seen mass [...]
Read More...Support the revolution taking place in Canada
Dear friends, Happy New Year! What a thrilling start to 2013… As you may have seen, there is an Indigenous-led revolution rocking Canada right now! The movement, known as ‘Idle No More’, has seen mass protests, road and rail blockades and uprisings across Canada in recent weeks, and continues to grow. This movement is calling on all people to join in a revolution which honours and fulfils Indigenous sovereignty, to work towards justice and protect Mother Earth. Inspirational Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence remains on hunger strike after more than a month, determined to keep fasting until she is able to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General David Johnston. She began her strike to highlight the ways in [...]
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- January 12, 2013
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Oxford shows solidarity with Idle No More
Today, people gathered in Oxford City Centre to send a message of solidarity to the Idle No More movement in Canada. There is a revolution taking place in Canada right now. Chief Theresa Spence is today on her 33rd day of hunger strike Mass protests have taken place all over the country Roads and railways have been blocked Solidarity protests have taken place across the world, from Mexico to New Zealand The Mikisew Cree and Frog Lake First Nations are taking the government to court Why is this happening? For too long, the Canadian government has been riding roughshod over indigenous peoples’ rights, in order to promote environmentally destructive industries such as the tar sands. The UN recently slammed Canada [...]
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