Greenpeace Activists Hang From Portland Bridge To Protest Arctic Drilling #ShellNo
According to a report from öl Profit, Greenpeace successfully protested Arctic oil drilling as 13 brave protestors dangled from St. Johns Bridge in Portland to keep Shell’s icebreaker, the Fennica, from heading to the arctic.
13 Climbers Protest Arctic Drilling Hanging Off Portland Bridge
Protestors hung from the bridge in Portland, Ore., for around 40 hours beginning on Wednesday. The protestors, connected with their own safety rope system (they repelled down the bridge), dangled above the Willamette River, and blocked the path of the MSV Fennnica, an icebreaker heading to the artic on behalf of Shell.
The protestors were not alone in their battle. Many other Greenpeace activists joined those hanging from the bridge on the water below them, using kayaks as an attempt to block the Fennica’s path and offer support to those dangling above (dubbed “kayaktivists.”)
Climate Action Coalition unwelcoming the Fennica in Portland, OR yesterday. #ShellNo #PDXvsShell @billmckibben pic.twitter.com/HqwhaDohfS
— Daphne Wysham (@daphnewysham) July 26, 2015
On Thursday morning, at 6:30 a.m., the Fennica left the dock and set out down the Willamette River only to be stopped by the protestors. The Fennica stopped on its way and had an intense stand-off with the protestors, until, one hour later, the Fennica began to turn around.
Fennica #ShellNo we are staying on the line. pic.twitter.com/eL1bwFjCer
— Elizabeth Mount (@chalice_chica) July 30, 2015
The ship is headed towards us #shellno #youshellnotpass pic.twitter.com/oXs4jsQsBX
— Dan Cannon (@DanEnviroCannon) July 30, 2015
Police Shut Down Protest, Fennica Passes Through
The protestors’ victory was short lived. Later that afternoon, police shut down St Johns Bridge and began rounding up protestors, both on the bridge and on the water. Local police worked with the Coast Guard to forcibly lower the protestors hanging from the bridge, a process that necessitated cutting some of their wires.
.@williemaze narrates from harness under the bridge as police move #kayaktivists. pic.twitter.com/AhsJQNKBje
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) July 30, 2015
Arrests underway in Portland but no one giving up, brave souls still standing down the icebreaker for now. #shellno pic.twitter.com/8d89dknv2a
— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) July 31, 2015
The Fennica passed underneath St. Johns Bridge later that afternoon, but many activists consider the protest a huge success. “It’s been wildly successful and now millions more people know about this project,” said a Greenpeace spokeswoman.
In fact, the protest spread quickly on Twitter with the hashtag “#ShellNo,” and celebrities and major politicians also backed the protestors, including Mark Ruffalo, Bernie Sanders and Rachel Maddow.
Inspired by the activists standing up to Shell in Portland and Seattle. We cannot address climate change and drill in the Arctic. #ShellNo
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 31, 2015
.@OregonGovBrown @MayorPDX say #ShellNo to drilling in the Arctic and let the St Johns climbers stay! https://t.co/FHLuE7rjk4
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) July 30, 2015
Greenpeace Fined $17,500 For Protest
Greenpeace may have a victory in the press, but they will suffer some financial consequences for their demonstration, which a judge in Alaska deemed “civil contempt.” After Shell approached a judge, it was declared that Greenpeace would be fined $2,500 for every hour the ship was delayed sometime during the protest – a fine that, in the end, totaled $17,500.
As the activists adjust to being back on land, Greenpeace is using the publicity to ask people to petition President Obama to rescind Shell’s permits to drill in the Arctic.
I hope that President Obama can hear us from up here. #ShellNo #keepitintheground
— Elizabeth Mount (@chalice_chica) July 30, 2015
RELATED ARTICLES
Get the most-revealing celebrity conversations with the uInterview podcast!
Leave a comment