greenpeace attacked by oil traders

chewie_nz

Banned
Kyoto protest beaten back by inflamed petrol traders
By Laura Peek and Liz Chong


WHEN 35 Greenpeace protesters stormed the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) yesterday they had planned the operation in great detail.

What they were not prepared for was the post-prandial aggression of oil traders who kicked and punched them back on to the pavement.

“We bit off more than we could chew. They were just cockney barrow boy spivs. Total thugs,” one protester said, rubbing his bruised skull. “I’ve never seen anyone less amenable to listening to our point of view.”

Another said: “I took on a Texan Swat team at Esso last year and they were angels compared with this lot.” Behind him, on the balcony of the pub opposite the IPE, a bleary-eyed trader, pint in hand, yelled: “Sod off, Swampy.”

Greenpeace had hoped to paralyse oil trading at the exchange in the City near Tower Bridge on the day that the Kyoto Protocol came into force. “The Kyoto Protocol has modest aims to improve the climate and we need huge aims,” a spokesman said.

Protesters conceded that mounting the operation after lunch may not have been the best plan. “The violence was instant,” Jon Beresford, 39, an electrical engineer from Nottingham, said.

“They grabbed us and started kicking and punching. Then when we were on the floor they tried to push huge filing cabinets on top of us to crush us.” When a trader left the building shortly before 2pm, using a security swipe card, a protester dropped some coins on the floor and, as he bent down to pick them up, put his boot in the door to keep it open.

Two minutes later, three Greenpeace vans pulled up and another 30 protesters leapt out and were let in by the others.

They made their way to the trading floor, blowing whistles and sounding fog horns, encountering little resistance from security guards. Rape alarms were tied to helium balloons to float to the ceiling and create noise out of reach. The IPE conducts “open outcry” trading where deals are shouted across the pit. By making so much noise, the protesters hoped to paralyse trading.

But they were set upon by traders, most of whom were under the age of 25. “They were kicking and punching men and women indiscriminately,” a photographer said. “It was really ugly, but Greenpeace did not fight back.”

Mr Beresford said: “They followed the guys into the lobby and kept kicking and punching them there. They literally kicked them on to the pavement.”

Last night Greenpeace said two protesters were in hospital, one with a suspected broken jaw, the other with concussion.

A spokeswoman from IPE said the trading floor reopened at 3.10pm. “The floor was invaded by a small group of protesters,” she said. “Open outcry trading was suspended but electronic trading carried on.”

Eighteen police vans and six police cars surrounded the exchange and at least 27 protesters were arrested. A small band blocked the entrance to the building for the rest of the evening.

Richard Ward, IPE’s chief executive, said that the exchange would review security but denied that protesters had reached the trading floor. However, traders, protesters and press photographers confirmed to The Times that the trading floor had been breached.

Mr Ward would not discuss whether he would press charges, and said he would not know until this morning if there had been any financial loss.

Greenpeace later started a second protest at the annual dinner of the Institute of Petroleum at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, in Central London. Greenpeace claimed that five campaigners had got into the Great Hall. About 30 protesters were outside the hotel, some blocking the front entrance by sitting down and locking themselves together, while others sounded klaxons and alarms. Climbers scaled scaffolding to unfurl a banner reading, “Climate change kills, oil industry parties
 
chewie_nz said:
What they were not prepared for was the post-prandial aggression of oil traders who kicked and punched them back on to the pavement.

:lol:
Similar things have happened when they have tried to protest against Norwegian whalers..
 
Redleg said:
chewie_nz said:
What they were not prepared for was the post-prandial aggression of oil traders who kicked and punched them back on to the pavement.

:lol:
Similar things have happened when they have tried to protest against Norwegian whalers..


hmmmm NZ and Norway have squared off many times over the whaling issue, what are your thoughts redleg? esp on the idea floated early last year about a south pacific whale sanctuary?
 
I'm really not much into whaling matters..
But I believe the scientists when they say that there are whales enough to hunt for (of certain types, and in certain areas), and whale meat does actually taste pretty good.. :)
 
chewie_nz said:
WHEN 35 Greenpeace protesters stormed the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) yesterday they had planned the operation in great detail.

My heart goes out to them. No, really, it does. Poor boys were just minding their own business on their own property when all of a sudden they got bea.........oh, wait.

:roll:
 
Redneck said:
chewie_nz said:
WHEN 35 Greenpeace protesters stormed the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) yesterday they had planned the operation in great detail.

My heart goes out to them. No, really, it does. Poor boys were just minding their own business on their own property when all of a sudden they got bea.........oh, wait.

:roll:

personally i don't have feeling either way for the "combatants". i just think the whole thing would've been hilarious!
 
I think this is too damn funny and should happen more often :lol:
They stormed a friggin' building trying to be all, "We're the soldiers of mother nature" and stuff and they got their butts kicked. HAHAHAHA.
I heard that there is some group that has a submarine and tries to sink whaling ships... I just heard about it from some dudes... after all I did join a few environmental groups before. I was an outsider because I didn't hold far left ideals but I did get to hear quite a few stuff.
Also those guys with ski masks who break into test labs to rescue animals etc. I hope those guys never set foot inside a hospital or take any medicine. If you ask me, I'd trade as many bunnies as it'll take to save a person's life. And that's from a former environmentalist group guy.
 
the_13th_redneck said:
I think this is too damn funny and should happen more often :lol:
They stormed a friggin' building trying to be all, "We're the soldiers of mother nature" and stuff and they got their butts kicked. HAHAHAHA.
I heard that there is some group that has a submarine and tries to sink whaling ships... I just heard about it from some dudes... after all I did join a few environmental groups before. I was an outsider because I didn't hold far left ideals but I did get to hear quite a few stuff.
Also those guys with ski masks who break into test labs to rescue animals etc. I hope those guys never set foot inside a hospital or take any medicine. If you ask me, I'd trade as many bunnies as it'll take to save a person's life. And that's from a former environmentalist group guy.

i agree with some enviromental stands *(nukes, whaling, GM)* but storming a lab and freeing the animals is NOT THE BRIGHTEST.
 
Priceless :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Now if somebody would just put a couple torpedos in the Rainbow Warrior they might get the message.
 
Didn't the French special forces sink the Rainbow Warrior? :lol: That's pouring salt into one's wound ain't it? :lol:
 
03USMC said:
Priceless :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Now if somebody would just put a couple torpedos in the Rainbow Warrior they might get the message.

dude, not cool.

the french government used navy sabotuers to sink a civilian vessel in a soveign country's harbour in peacetime....killing one person.
all because NZ greenpeace (and the NZ Govt)objected to Nuke teasting in the south pacific.

http://www.police.govt.nz/operation/wharf/

http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Childrens/NZDisasters/RainbowWarrior.asp

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/3/newsid_2538000/2538099.stm

http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/rw/pkbomb.html


although greenpeace do stupid ass shit, on the issue of whaling and anti nuke protesting i side with them whole heartedly.
 
Hey your entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. And mine is regardless of your protest if you try and molest a ship regardless of flag then you better be willing to pay the price.

Cool or not.
 
03USMC said:
Hey your entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. And mine is regardless of your protest if you try and molest a ship regardless of flag then you better be willing to pay the price.

Cool or not.

your comments don't make sense to me...am i missing something?

the warrior deserved to get sunk for protesting at muraroa? can you clear this up for me 03?

if the french really took issue with oppisition to the testing....why not pick on someone else;

http://www.navy.mil.nz/rnzn/article.cfm?Article_ID=1406
Naval Diplomacy

By 1973, the major powers had signed a Partial Nuclear Weapons Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited atmospheric nuclear tests. However, France continued to conduct atmospheric tests at Mururoa Atoll, south east of Tahiti. The New Zealand Government decided to protest these weapons tests, in conjunction with taking legal action through the World Court. During June 1973, HMNZS Otago was despatched to monitor the tests, while HMAS Supply was provided by the Australian Government to sustain the frigate on station. Subsequently HMNZS Canterbury relieved Otago, until the test series had ended in August 1973. As a result the French moved to underground testing at the atoll, and this was subsequently the object of the 1995 protest voyage by HMNZS Tui.
 
Whats not clear? Go muckin around with a Country impeding vessels, impeding trade, impeding National Security issues and sooner or later some country is gonna scuttle your tie dyed tug boat.
 
03USMC said:
Whats not clear? Go muckin around with a Country impeding vessels, impeding trade, impeding National Security issues and sooner or later some country is gonna scuttle your tie dyed tug boat.

cool, my point still stands then. french forces attacked a civilian ship in soviegn country.
they (the French) were testing nukes atmospherically (which had been banned by international treaty at that time)

it wasn't just greenpeace protesting...the NZ and Australian navy was present as well. i notice that french commando's didn't take a shot at the HMNZS Canterbury or HMNZS Otago. the flotilla was in international waters.
Cantypic.jpg

also, what trade was being impeded? can't imagine that there was alot of tourism at muaroa.

FrenchNuclear.jpg


_1949094_french_nuclear.jpg


***edit***
as a side note, the distance between paris and new caladonia (the closest spot i could find to muaroa) is;

16730.76 KM
10396.01 Miles
9033.88 Nautical Miles

yet only 1814.16 KM from auckland, new zealand. THAT'S why we got involved
 
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