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Just watching the news and saw Greenpeace has been closing BP garages in London with the slogan: Closed. Moving beyond petroleum.


Not sure what they hope to achieve but enjoyed the irony of the unemployed volunteers unloading the fence panels from a van, presumably running on petrol/diesel.

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https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/12472-greenpeaces-bp-garage-protest/
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[quote name=Not sure what they hope to achieve but enjoyed the irony of the unemployed volunteers unloading the fence panels from a van, presumably running on petrol/diesel.]



one of the things they hope to achieve is awareness about future offshore drilling plans in the Arctic and yes, that is ironic, it would have been more effective if they'd used an electric car (GM Voltec anyone?)


let's see if this has changed public attitude and helped people link their daily energy use to its demand (i'm not holding my breath)

They are idiots.


If they had done any research they would know that BP petrol stations have very little to do with the BP company they really wish to attack.


The petrol stations are franchises run independently by families or small-businessmen. People who can barely afford to lose a days takings due to some unwashed trustafarians .


Not only that but due to them being independent franchises, their owners cannot fight back against the bullying tactics of Greenpeace. In addition it targets the wrong end of the product anyway. The motorist simply drove along the road to a different petrol station - so the net impact on petrol consumption would have been zero.

I agree with David,


Big Oil companies are forced by governments to sell petrol to joe public as a way of governments trying to absolve the guilt of selling all the natural resources of their country to fill their coffers and get re-elected.


They make bugger-all money from petrol stations, so blockading them is just going to make life even harder for the minimum wage employees, and yes the franchise owner who probably struggles mightily.


If you DO want to protest, then it's far more effective going to their HQ. Although it's not as if BP is collecting oil just to store it under their stairs. They drill it because we, as a society have a ridiculous addiction to it, and we want it cheaper. Our society's habits are not going to change if a BP or a Shell somehow was put out of business.

Assuming that the people who organised this are intelligent enough to put their shoes on the right feet in less than 2 goes, which admittedly is a big ask for people, they probably know very well that the corner garage isn?t the heart and soul of BP?s evil empire. It is however the most publicly visible and therefore the best PR (if you can call what Greenpeace do PR) opportunity.

Haha Keef, I think there should be bunting.


Joe public is inconvenienced on driving to a petrol station that is blockaded (or whatever they did) long enough to notice. Of course they can go somewhere else. But it's annoying to have to, so they they see it, and they experience it in person, in a way that they wouldn't if it was a small piece on the news about a head office in a town nowhere near them.

You're right of course, and it has gotten the publicity they want, so as a piece of PR, it's grand.


BUT


They are hurting the "little people". I am sure they would claim that these garage owners have blood on their hands too, as they always try to justify their bu!lshit like that, but at the end of the day, what they are doing will have little or no impact on BP, but will be a right pain for some small business owners.

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