The campaigners of climate change targeted the headquarters of oil giant TotalEnergies in the United Kingdom on Tuesday by throwing paint at it, while protesting against the alleged human rights violations by the French firm in the contentious oil pipeline’s construction in Uganda.
The black paint was sprayed by the Just Stop Oil activist organisation’s supporters in the lobby of the company’s headquarters located in the Canary Wharf district, London while the outside walls were daubed in orange pain, said the protest group.
Many students from a pressure group who were opposing the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) had also gathered outside the building to show their support, the group stated.
London’s Metropolitan police said that 27 people were arrested by the officers “for a combination of suspicion of criminal damage and aggravated trespass”.
In a statement, TotalEnergies said that it “fully respects the right to demonstrate and freedom of expression, but deplores all forms of violence, whether verbal, physical or material”.
“TotalEnergies promotes transparent and constructive dialogue with all its stakeholders,” it further stated.
The company said it has “a history of engaging directly with all members of civil society” and “does not tolerate any threats or attacks against those who peacefully defend and promote human rights in relation to its operations”.
Just Stop Oil has been demanding that the governments in the UK and all other countries must end all new oil and gas exploration.
TotalEnergies sued by Ugandans for reparations in France
TotalEnergies was sued by 26 Ugandans on Tuesday for reparations over its alleged human rights violations at its megaprojects in the country.
As five Ugandan and French aid groups joined in, people affected by the violations stated that the energy firm caused “serious harm”, especially to their rights to food and land.
People affected by the work “have been deprived of free use of their land for three or four years, in violation of their property rights”, said the associations in a statement.
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This “deprived them of their means of subsistence” and led to “serious food shortages” for some families, as some received in-kind compensation while others were provided financial terms “far short” of what was needed.
“Some villages suffered flooding caused by construction at the Tilenga project’s oil treatment plant,” the associations further stated.
What’s more, “several plaintiffs suffered threats, harassment and arrest simply for daring to criticise oil projects in Uganda and Tanzania and defend the rights of affected communities,” they added.
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