Multiple activists arrested as 33,000-tonne shipment of Russian oil forced to u-turn in the Thames
At least 15 people have been arrested after forcing a 33,000-tonne shipment of Russian oil to u-turn in the Thames.
Greenpeace activists confronted the Greek tanker called the Andromeda late on Sunday night, climbing onto its intended docking birth at the Navigator Terminals, in Essex.
While police made a series of arrests, protestors attached themselves to pipes, the jetty and other areas, which prevented it from docking. They also unfurled a banner reading ‘oil fuels war.’
Essex Police said in a statement, at 1.40pm, they had made seven further arrests after detaining eight people, by 8am on Monday.
“Policing is not anti-protest, but we must intervene where there is a risk to life or where there is a suspicion laws are being broken.”
“We always work to resolve incidents such as these as safely and swiftly as possible so that our officers can get back to protecting and serving the people of Essex”, they said.
This comes after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put immense pressure on the price of oil and gas, forcing the UK to look into its energy security. Purchasing Russian oil has led to accusations of funding the war effort.
Georgia Whitaker,a Greenpeace UK activist, said: “The UK’s attachment to fossil fuels has backfired in the worst way possible – we’re funding a war, our energy bills and fuel costs are sky-high, and we’re driving the climate crisis. It has to stop.”
Russian ships are banned from UK ports, but importing Russian oil won’t be made illegal until the end of the year. The UK committed to phase it out by the end of 2022.