BP or not BP? That is the question
Friends, Romans, company-baiters – lend us your ears! This week we helped launch the Reclaim Shakespeare Company, which made its debut with a stunning piece of ‘guerilla Shakespeare’ on the stage at the BP-sponsored Royal Shakespeare Theatre no less! We are also gearing up for International Stop the Tar Sands day, swiftly followed by hitting Shell hard at their AGM next month. There is much ado about tar sands right now. We hope you can get involved! 1. Protesters take to the stage over BP sponsorship 2. Time to get MPs involved in Greenwash Gold 2012 3. Get the Shell Out! 4. Upcoming events: International Stop the Tar Sands Day, Pete the Temp and more Fare thee well. Parting is such […]
Read More…BP sponsorship of Shakespeare criticised by actors, directors and playwrights
Tomorrow – April 23rd – is both Shakespeare’s birthday and the launch of the World Shakespeare Festival. To mark the occasion, a group of actors, directors, academics and others from the theatre and arts community will publish a letter in the Guardian criticising the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) over its decision to accept sponsorship money from BP. The RSC is the latest cultural institution to face criticsm for allowing BP to use corporate sponsorship to boost its flailing public image. The Tate has also come under sustained fire for its ongoing sponsorship relationship with BP. The letter, which was co-ordinated by the UK Tar Sands Network, is signed by 29 theatre and arts professionals, including: Mark Rylance, former Creative Director of the RSC; […]
Read More…UK Tar Sands Network’s Questions to the 2012 BP AGM
On April 12th, 2012, we attended BP’s Annual General Meeting, and challenged the board with some tricky questions. First of all, the meeting was addressed by Bryan Parras and Derrick Christopher Evans, representing Gulf Coast communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon drilling disaster. You can read about their powerful testimony to the Board here. BP’s Chair, Carl-Henric Svanberg, largely ignored their questions – he even rudely interrupted Bryan Parras and told him to hurry up! Instead of a proper answer, he repeated the prepared BP PR statement about how they were doing all they could to help deal with the spill, despite the fact that they’d just been told that these efforts were completely inadequate. Next, Clayton Thomas-Muller from the […]
Read More…Vote BP for worst Olympic Sponsor!
The Greenwash Gold 2012 launch event takes place on 16th April at Amnesty Human Rights Centre from 7pm. The UK Tar Sands Network has teamed up with London Mining Network and Bhopal Medical appeal to unveil a new website and campaign, Greenwash Gold 2012, focussing on the ‘worst’ Olympic sponsors. With short films made by award-winning animators, each company is in the running for the prize of worst corporate sponsor of the Olympics. An online public voting competition will then produce the winner, who will awarded the Greenwash Gold Medal during the games in July. We’re nominating BP, undeservedly named London 2012 ‘Sustainability Partner’, for the Greenwash Gold prize – the other controversial nominees are Dow and Rio Tinto. Members […]
Read More…Protesters dragged out of BP AGM after board avoids uncomfortable questions
BP’s Broken Promises, Annual General Meeting 2012 from Zoe Broughton on Vimeo. Gulf Coast residents cut short by Chair, and environmental questions brushed aside before meeting disrupted by “die-in” protest. BP’s Annual General Meeting this morning was once again an uncomfortable experience for the Board. They were confronted by questions on oil spills, tar sands, Olympic sponsorship and interplanetary escape pods, before nine people “died” in protest at the company’s contribution to climate change and human rights abuses, and were removed bodily from the room by security guards. Early in the meeting Bryan Parras, representing devastated communities on the Gulf Coast, began to explain how the financial and health impacts of BP’s 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill were still having a […]
Read More…Give yourselves a pat on the back…
Dear grassroots lobbyists and graffiti artists, Here’s a big round of applause for everyone who has been tirelessly and creatively telling Norman Baker not to vote against the Fuel Quality Directive proposal… It worked! Although the battle isn’t over yet, and there will be plenty more action needed on the ongoing attempts to keep tar sands oil out of Europe in coming months. In the meantime some interesting things have been happening in London, with BP getting an earful from angry activists over its visually perturbing sponsorship of the Olympics. We are also very happy to announce that we have a new member on board – welcome to Ruthi who will be volunteering with us! 1. A small stalemate for […]
Read More…Olympic organisers slammed over BP sponsorship
Environmental credentials of ‘sustainability’ partner labelled a ‘sick joke’ PRESS RELEASE: 17.2.2012 Today, an open letter [1] signed by a broad coalition of leading environmentalists, academics, politicians, campaigners, activists and representatives of devastated communities [2] has been sent to the organisers of London 2012, raising a series of concerns over BP’s sponsorship of the forthcoming Olympics. The 34 signatories – which include representatives of Sierra Club US, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, as well as London Assembly member Jenny Jones and Nick Reeves OBE, Director of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management – have raised critical concerns over BP’s role as ‘Sustainability Partner’ [3]. The letter points out that given the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the company’s vast […]
Read More…Tar Monsters on the loose!
Hello Tar Monster Thwarters! There has been an incredible flurry of action in the past 48 hours as we escalate efforts to stop the UK from blocking the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD). And these are just the highlights! For more updates, check our facebook and twitter pages. Lewes tackles the Tar Monster HM Department for Tar Sands blockaded RBS caught out for climate greenwash Love oily paintings – hate oily money Keep up the good work everyone – we’re nearly there! Sue and Emily 1. Lewes tackles the Tar Monster On Saturday we whizzed down to Lewes to meet up with our friends from South Coast Climate Camp, People and Planet, Lush, and Friends of the Earth Lewes. Residents and […]
Read More…BP’s spirit successfully exorcised from the Tate – for now…
Dearest brethren, Monday saw extraordinary scenes as we joined Reverend Billy and the Church of Earthaluyah to exorcise the beast that is BP from the Tate Modern Turbine Hall. Filling the huge space inside the former power station with singing, clapping and chanting, crowds of people joined the Rev in a piece of protest performance art that was at times sombre, at times raucous, at times oily – and ultimately incredibly powerful. Watch the film (above) to find out what the hell we’re talking about. We dedicated this action to our comrade Alex Lee, an amazing activist and all-round beautiful person, who recently died. Meanwhile, things are hotting up across the pond. A group of prominent individuals, including Naomi Klein, […]
Read More…Reverend Billy leads mass exorcism in Tate Modern Turbine Hall over ‘taint’ of BP sponsorship
PRESS RELEASE For immediate release 18 July 2011 Reverend Billy leads mass exorcism in Tate Modern Turbine Hall over ‘taint’ of BP sponsorship American performance group and British artists, activists and art lovers congregate in call for gallery to end its relationship with oil company Monday (18 July) Reverend Billy and the Church of Earthalujah choir joined with art activists, artists, Tate members and concerned members of the public at 17.30 in the Tate Turbine Hall to lay hands on Tate Modern and cast out the demon of BP’s oil sponsorship of the art institution. An exorcism of the evil spirit of BP was performed in a special service in the Turbine Hall of the national gallery of international modern […]
Read More…