Global Warming Activists Super Glue Themselves Around Statue

Four climate change protesters were arrested in London this week after super gluing their hands together around a statue in the Houses of Parliament. The activists from Climate Rush, a global warming campaign group inspired by the suffragettes, chanted “deeds not words” in protest against the British government’s plans for new coal-fired power stations.

From the Times Online:

They wore red sashes and superglued their hands together around a statue of Viscount Falkland, which still bears a broken spur where the suffragette Margery Humes chained herself in the same place 100 years ago today.

Police and medics freed the protesters using a solvent solution before arresting them on suspicion of public order offences and criminal damage. Police were unable to give details of any damage caused.

A statement on the group’s website said: “Climate Rush is inspired by the actions of the suffragettes 100 years ago, who showed that peaceful civil disobedience could inspire positive change.

“We are a diverse group of women and men who are determined to raise awareness of the biggest threat facing humanity today, that of climate change. Our Government acknowledges the huge problems we face from climate change, but carries on with business as usual.”

Well, that’s certainly one way to get attention.  Some activist groups, who prefer the more shocking method of vandalism to get their point across, might see this method as ineffective, but there’s something to be said about peaceful protest. At least the cops used solvent and didn’t just rip their hands apart – we’ve got plenty of power-crazed dick cops in the U.S. that wouldn’t have been as pleasant.

Link [The Times Online]

British Business Secretary Beaned with Green Custard by Protester

British business secretary Peter Mandelson got ‘slimed’ with a cup full of green custard on Friday by a protester associated with Plane Stupid, the UK direct action group that’s seeking to stop a new runway from being built at London’s Heathrow airport. Mandelson has been accused of putting business before the planet in Britain, drawing the ire of environmental groups.

From Yahoo News:

Mandelson was arriving for a London summit on carbon strategy when protester Leila Deen approached him and hurled a large cupful of custard straight in the former European Union trade commissioner’s face, at close range.

Mandelson bent over, turned away and hurried inside, while the protester picked up papers she had dropped and calmly walked off.

“Mandelson is trying to make political capital out of climate change,” said serial campaigner Deen, a member of the group Plane Stupid, which has staged several protests over plans to build a third runway at Heathrow.

“The only thing green about Peter Mandelson is the slime coursing through his veins.

“We can’t let the ‘Prince of Darkness’ cast his shadow over west London” — a reference to Mandelson’s nickname earned for his media spinning skills.

Mandelson was unfazed, telling reporters that he’s glad people are speaking their minds but would rather they “said it to my face rather than threw it in my face.”

Green custard? That’s a new one. Creative. Not quite as messy or wasteful as pies. But, don’t expect it to become the new in thing to throw at people you don’t agree with – bookmaker William Hill is taking bets on which popular dessert will next be thrown at a government minister, and spotted dick is the odds-on favorite. I don’t know what spotted dick is, exactly, but it sounds like something that should be thrown and not eaten.

Link [Yahoo News]

Capitol Power Plant Protesters Declare Victory

Yesterday, thousands of protesters converged on Washington D.C. in an act of civil disobedience against coal power. The crowd consisted of about 2,500 people who marched, held signs and spoke out against coal outside the Capitol Power Plant’s northeast corner gate. Despite planning for it (and not for lack of trying), no one was arrested.

Grist’s Kate Sheppard reported from the scene (via The Huffington Post):

“I think any time you have 2,500 people willing to take action and risk going to jail to stop a coal plant, it’s a good thing,” Michael Brune of the Rainforest Action Network told Grist as the protest wrapped up. “And I think what’s quite clear is that we have more momentum than ever to start shutting down coal plants around the country.”

Climate movement luminaries were on hand, including climate scientist James Hansen, veteran activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., actress Daryl Hannah, writer Wendell Berry, former Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson, and 350.org founder and Grist board member Bill McKibben (who also blogged about Monday’s action). Hansen, McKibben, and Anderson were at the front of the action, signaling their intention to get arrested.

But it’s the rank-and-file protesters who gave the strongest sense of how the anti-coal movement is growing. Among them was Rory McIlmoil, campaign coordinator for Coal River Wind, which is fighting to get wind power going in his home state of West Virginia rather letting more mountains be destroyed by coal mining. He was arrested on Feb. 3 at an action against coal company Massey Energy, which plans to blow up Coal River Mountain, and he has since been served a restraining order to keep him off all Massey property.

The protest, which was organized by the Rainforest Action Network, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Greenpeace, got a big boost from some of the 12,000 students who had also convened in Washington D.C. for the PowerShift 2009 conference.

Unsurprisingly, the turnout for the ‘Celebrate Coal!’ counter-protest was dismal, with fewer than 20 people showing up. Those few who did decide to take part held signs that said predictable things like ‘Our Economy Runs on Coal’ and disparaged Al Gore. What a joke, in comparison to the huge crowd that marched against the environmental and health injustices of coal power.

Thanks to everyone who braved the extremely cold temperatures and 6 inches of snow to make sure our leaders in Washington get the message that we’re not going to accept coal power any more. Clean energy FTW!

Link [Grist] + [The Huffington Post]

Protests at UN Climate Talks in Poland

On Saturday December 6th, Greenpeace took action in Poznan, Poland where the United Nations climate talks are taking place. To mark the International Day of Climate Action, they joined activists in locations all around the world to call on world leaders to take urgent action on climate change. This is definitely a great cause but what’s with the clown outfits guys?

California Woman Starts Fires to Protest Gas Prices

Talk about getting hot about high gas prices (forgive me, that was a terrible pun). One woman in California is so irate, she decided that setting fire to two gas station bathrooms – and, inexplicably, a Starbucks – was the best way to ‘take a stand’ against rising gas prices that are putting a pinch on Americans’ wallets.

InsideBayArea.com has it:

Police received a report at 10 a.m. about a woman using a fireplace log and lighter to burn the restroom of an Arco gas station at Camino Tassajara and Tassajara Ranch Drive in Danville, Williams said. A gas station clerk put out the fire and then called police.

Soon after, police received a report of another restroom fire, this time at a Chevron station at Crow Canyon Road and Camino Tassajara. A fireplace log again was used and a woman matching the description of the suspect in the Arco case was reported in the area, Williams said.

A third call came soon after, when a restroom was reported on fire at the Starbucks, at 11000 Crow Canyon Rd.

No structural damage occurred in any of the restrooms, Williams said.

Craig was spotted by a Danville police sergeant at a nearby McDonald’s restaurant. She had eight logs with her, Williams said.

Apparently, she woke up in the morning and thought, ‘what can I do about high gas prices? Oooh, I know! Where are my arson supplies?’ It must have been funny for the people who were sitting near her in McDonalds before the cops came in, wondering what the hell this crazy lady was doing with eight fireplace logs.

*Note: Drew Barrymore was not involved in this particular incident.

Link [InsideBayArea]