++ Protests in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and across UK call on Rishi Sunak to reverse the decision to drill ++
Rishi Sunak is accused of ‘an act of vandalism’ in approving the huge Rosebank oil field, as campaigners protest around the country against the decision.
On Wednesday, the UK Government gave permission to Equinor, the Norwegian state-backed oil company, to develop Rosebank, which is the UK’s largest undeveloped oil and gas field off the coast of Shetland.
Stop Rosebank protests will take place around the country, including in Edinburgh – where campaigners will rally outside the UK Government building – as well as Aberdeen, London, Sheffield and Cambridge. A protest is also happening today (Friday 29 September) outside the headquarters of Equinor in Oslo, Norway.
Stop Rosebank campaigner, Lauren MacDonald said: “This is nothing but a destructive and pointless act of vandalism by Rishi Sunak. Rosebank will not increase energy security or do anything to lower fuel bills.
“Rosebank’s oil mostly belongs to Norway, and the majority will be shipped abroad and then sold back to us at market price. It will, though, exacerbate the climate crisis, which is behind the temperature rises, wildfires and flooding we’re seeing around the world.
“The oil and gas lobbyists and Conservative Party donors invested in fossil fuels attending this week’s party conference will no doubt be delighted with this decision. But handing over billions in tax breaks for oil for export makes zero sense to the millions of ordinary people in this country who can’t afford their heating bills.”
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s head of campaigns, Mary Church said: “The UK government’s reckless decision to approve Rosebank completely disregards all credible climate science and risks keeping households locked in to expensive, polluting fossil fuels for even longer.
“People can see and feel the mounting evidence of climate breakdown and they know that pouring fuel on the fire will only worsen the extreme weather we’re enduring.
“Stop Rosebank protests this weekend will show that we will keep fighting together for a liveable future, and for a fast and fair transition away from oil and gas. Our collective dream of a safe future for all is even more powerful than the destructive fossil fuel industry’s greed for profit.”
DETAILS OF THE PROTESTS
Protests will take place at the following locations and times on Saturday 30 September:
London: 12pm at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 3 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2AW. Protestors will march to the Norwegian Embassy, 25 Belgrave Square London SW1X 8QD.
Edinburgh: 4pm outside the Queen Elizabeth building at 1 Sibbald Walk in Edinburgh EH8 8FT. Rally and speeches outside the building
Aberdeen: 12.30pm at the North Sea Transition Authority, 1 Marischal Square, Aberdeen, AB10 1BL
Liverpool: 10.30am outside Barclays Bank, 48-50 Lord Street, Liverpool, L21TD
Sheffield: 2-4pm at the Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield, S1 2HH
Huddersfield: 10.30-11.30am at St George’s Square, Outside railway station, Huddersfield, HD1 1JB
Todmorden: 1-2pm at Todmorden Town Hall, Bridge Street, Todmorden, OL14 5AQ
Cambridge: 12.30pm at Senate House, Trinity Street, Cambridge, CB2 1SZ
Bristol: 1pm at College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TR
Oxford: 12pm at Carfax Tower, Queen St, Oxford, OX1 1ET. Note: this protest is on Sunday 1 October