Feature story - October 7, 2009
Greenpeace Canada’s tar sands campaign expanded into France early this morning when 30 Greenpeace activists entered Total’s refinery site in Gonfreville-l'Orcher, located close to Le Havre (Normandy), and hung three large banners.
Greenpeace tar sands campaign expands to France with occupation of Total refinery
They have unfurled one banner on a huge tank, and two others on the two main 75 meter-high chimney stacks of the site's power station. The banners highlight the climate crimes that Total has invested in in Canada. The banners read "climate crime" and protest against the French oil company: "Total invests in sustainable destruction."
"This action against Total signals what we've been saying: the world doesn't want Canada's dirty oil," said climate and energy campaigner Mike Hudema. "Climate change is a global problem and we're seeing global response to one of the worst climate offenders. This is the marketplace and the future end-users speaking, and they're saying no to tar sands."
A Canadian "tourist" is also there participating in this action. Greenpeace activist Eryn Wheatley from Toronto is inside the Total refinery and occupying a large tank. Last week, Stelmach attempted to belittle the significance of global action on the tar sands by dismissing the activists as "tourists." This week, these "tourists" are taking their message across the Atlantic to Sarkozy and Europe that climate leaders don't buy or fund tar sands.
"This is not Canada's dirty secret anymore," said Toronto-based Greenpeace activist Eryn Wheatley, from inside the Total site. "We're here today to expose an international climate crime. Sarkozy and other European leaders can't keep exporting the climate crisis to Canada. We need real leadership at Copenhagen and that means no more tar sands."
Total S.A. has already invested more than EUR 8 billion in Alberta, and is planning to invest EUR 10 billion in the next decade, in Alberta and Madagascar, with the set purpose of stepping up its oil production from tar sands to 10 per cent of its global production.
Greenpeace France has also launched a web video campaign to expose Total's wrongdoings: http://www.greenpeace.fr/destruction-durable
This morning's action follows three weeks of intense actions lead by Greenpeace Canada. Activists from France, Brazil, Germany and Australia descended on Canada to draw attention to what they were calling a "global climate crime."