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Protests are being held in 263 cities around the world Saturday to mark two months since Greenpeace's 'Arctic 30' were jailed in Russia for demonstrating against Arctic drilling.
In a case that has sparked an international outcry, the crew-members of Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise ship were detained on September 18 after several of them scaled an oil platform run by Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.
Many of today's demonstrations will focus on the role of Gazprom and its Arctic oil business partner, Shell. It was the demands from Gazprom for the Russian authorities to intervene during the protest that ultimately led to the detention of the 30.
The international day of protests will include:
Greenpeace International campaigner Barbara Stoll explained:
"The Arctic 30 were arrested and imprisoned after Gazprom asked the authorities to intervene during our peaceful protest. Now the 30 remain behind bars and Gazprom could play a key role in securing their release so they can go home to their families. If Gazprom wanted the Arctic 30 to be free, it could wield significant influence by calling for their release."
She added:
"To break open the Russian Arctic, Gazprom needs its business partners at Shell. That puts Shell in a hugely powerful position to influence Gazprom. If Shell wanted to stand up for freedom of expression and to see the Arctic 30 released, the company could push its friends at Gazprom to make the call. But by staying silent, it's hard not to conclude that Shell is putting its Arctic oil deal ahead of the release of these prisoners of conscience."
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

Protests are being held in 263 cities around the world Saturday to mark two months since Greenpeace's 'Arctic 30' were jailed in Russia for demonstrating against Arctic drilling.
In a case that has sparked an international outcry, the crew-members of Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise ship were detained on September 18 after several of them scaled an oil platform run by Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.
Many of today's demonstrations will focus on the role of Gazprom and its Arctic oil business partner, Shell. It was the demands from Gazprom for the Russian authorities to intervene during the protest that ultimately led to the detention of the 30.
The international day of protests will include:
Greenpeace International campaigner Barbara Stoll explained:
"The Arctic 30 were arrested and imprisoned after Gazprom asked the authorities to intervene during our peaceful protest. Now the 30 remain behind bars and Gazprom could play a key role in securing their release so they can go home to their families. If Gazprom wanted the Arctic 30 to be free, it could wield significant influence by calling for their release."
She added:
"To break open the Russian Arctic, Gazprom needs its business partners at Shell. That puts Shell in a hugely powerful position to influence Gazprom. If Shell wanted to stand up for freedom of expression and to see the Arctic 30 released, the company could push its friends at Gazprom to make the call. But by staying silent, it's hard not to conclude that Shell is putting its Arctic oil deal ahead of the release of these prisoners of conscience."
* * *

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* * *

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Protests are being held in 263 cities around the world Saturday to mark two months since Greenpeace's 'Arctic 30' were jailed in Russia for demonstrating against Arctic drilling.
In a case that has sparked an international outcry, the crew-members of Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise ship were detained on September 18 after several of them scaled an oil platform run by Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.
Many of today's demonstrations will focus on the role of Gazprom and its Arctic oil business partner, Shell. It was the demands from Gazprom for the Russian authorities to intervene during the protest that ultimately led to the detention of the 30.
The international day of protests will include:
Greenpeace International campaigner Barbara Stoll explained:
"The Arctic 30 were arrested and imprisoned after Gazprom asked the authorities to intervene during our peaceful protest. Now the 30 remain behind bars and Gazprom could play a key role in securing their release so they can go home to their families. If Gazprom wanted the Arctic 30 to be free, it could wield significant influence by calling for their release."
She added:
"To break open the Russian Arctic, Gazprom needs its business partners at Shell. That puts Shell in a hugely powerful position to influence Gazprom. If Shell wanted to stand up for freedom of expression and to see the Arctic 30 released, the company could push its friends at Gazprom to make the call. But by staying silent, it's hard not to conclude that Shell is putting its Arctic oil deal ahead of the release of these prisoners of conscience."
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