Oil‑Slick Summit Meets Rough‑And‑Ready Protesters
At the swanky Intercontinental Hotel in Mayfair, two Greenpeace heroes climbed the 46‑storey façade and unfurled a giant banner that screamed “Make Big Oil Pay”. The backdrop? A heavyweight oil and gas summit where Shell’s chief, Wael Sawan, was scheduled to deliver a keynote.
What Went Down
- 8 AM: Protestors block every entrance, leaving delegates in a dead‑end hallway.
- Hands‑Tie‑down Action: Two climbers abseil from the top, haul the 30‑meter banner down, and stand beside on‑ground activists holding hand‑banners that read “People Before Profit” and “Make Big Oil Pay.”
- On the ground: Wooden signs bore stunning 10‑shot series by South African photographer Gideon Mendel, showing flood‑hit communities around the globe.
- White‑check: Greta Thunberg—Swedish climate warrior—faced a police fortress as she rallied the crowd and shouted at “spineless politicians” who are cozying up with oil lobbyists.
Why It Matters
Greenpeace insists that fossil fuel giants, especially Shell, must bankroll the Loss and Damage Fund—a cushion for the world’s most vulnerable nations. After all, these companies are out of the picture when it comes to battling climate chaos.
Last week, a study said climate‑driven extreme weather has already raked in a staggering $2.8 trillion of damage from 2000‑2019.
Reacting Voices
Maja Darlington, Greenpeace UK campaigner, said: “Oil bosses sit in the palm of a luxury hotel, plotting to keep climbing their profit stack, while ordinary folks scramble to rebuild after a flood‑savaged summer. It’s plain out of sight to let oil emperors steer our future.”
Greta Thunberg called the summit a “closed‑door deal” between unfeeling politicians and oil lobbyists. “We’re hurting worldwide—yet the powers that be let the oil industry die‑by‑the‑shelf,” she warned.
Robin, director of Fossil Free London, added: “For decades, these giants knew the damage they were causing—yet they hid it behind misinformation. Nothing about our climate emergency can thrive with that kind of whispering.”
Next Steps
Besides the bold climb, the protest continues throughout the three‑day conference featuring executives from BP, Chevron, Saudi Aramco, and even a UK minister. Attendees are now pumped for the COP28 negotiations that will take place next month. Documentation from Greenpeace says Shell’s new CEO, Wael Sawan, has been under fire for slicing green projects and boosting oil output.
It’s a call to unplug the oil connection from politics and make the big funds pay their dues. If the hotel walls know it now, the whole country’s got to hear it louder—because life isn’t a lecture in Mayfair and the planet will never be a back‑stage act.
