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A fearless band of grannies faced down police officers and semi-trucks early Tuesday as they led a direct action blockading the entrances to the Seattle Port terminal where the Shell Oil's Polar Pioneer drilling rig is moored.
Continuing the fierce local fight at the home berth of the Arctic drilling fleet, activists used their bodies, chains, and cement-filled barrels to halt operations at the Seattle port.
According to reports, six members of the "Raging Grannies," a group of Seattle grandmothers, were arrested as they led five successful blockades around Terminal 5.
"My generation is responsible for how things are today. This rig will destroy any hope of a liveable future for our children and grandchildren," said Seattle granny Annette Klapstein. "It's our duty to be out here."
Organized under the rally cry of "sHell No!," the blockade follows five days of pickets at the port, as well as a mass protest and kayak "flotilla" late last month, which coincided with the arrival of the Arctic drilling fleet at Terminal 5. Environmental activists say that Seattle marks the new ground-zero in the fight against extreme energy extraction, amid a growing call for a more renewable, more sustainable power supply.
We Interrupt This Article with an Urgent Message! Common Dreams is a not-for-profit news service. All of our content is free to you - no subscriptions; no ads. We are funded by donations from our readers. This media model only works if enough readers pitch in. We have millions of readers every month and, it seems, too many take our survival for granted. It isn't. Our critical Mid-Year fundraiser is off to a very slow start - only 206 readers have contributed a total of $7,500 so far. We must raise $42,500 more before we can end this fundraising campaign and get back to focusing on what we do best. |
As the grassroots activist network Rising Tide Seattle explained, because the drilling season has to be timed exactly, demonstrators hope to stall operations long enough to disrupt Shell's planned Arctic oil exploration this summer.
"Shell only has until the end of June to make it up to the Arctic in time to drill this summer. We want to stop them from leaving," said Blaine Doherty, who was among the chained demonstrators. "The Port of Seattle has let us down and President Obama has let us down. We can't afford to let Shell drill in the Arctic if we want this planet to remain habitable."
Following the May protests, Shell obtained a "safety-zone injunction," which established buffer zones of 300 feet to roughly 5,000 feet for all of Shell's Arctic drilling fleet, barring protesters from approaching their ships. In a Guardian op-ed on Tuesday, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, writer and activist Naomi Klein, and Greenpeace USA chief Annie Leonard noted the irony of Shell's "safety" argument, given the company's clear contribution to the climate crisis.
"In a world serious about protecting its people and its climate, there would be a safety zone several miles outside the edge of Earth's atmosphere where Shell was not allowed, and a sign directing it to wreck Venus instead," they wrote. "Of course no court as yet has drawn a safety zone around the Arctic."
Images and updates from the action are being shared online.
\u201c92 year old Shirley had just been arrested blockading Terminal 5 https://t.co/YcUeAtWzSz #sHellNO\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1433867156
\u201cThe Grannies are smiling as police surround them and begin extraction. #Shellno #savethearctic\u201d— Rising Tide Seattle (@Rising Tide Seattle) 1433867898
\u201cMedia liaison said that grannies are being taken to the Southwest Precinct and then they'll be released.\u201d— Sydney Brownstone (@Sydney Brownstone) 1433868257
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
A fearless band of grannies faced down police officers and semi-trucks early Tuesday as they led a direct action blockading the entrances to the Seattle Port terminal where the Shell Oil's Polar Pioneer drilling rig is moored.
Continuing the fierce local fight at the home berth of the Arctic drilling fleet, activists used their bodies, chains, and cement-filled barrels to halt operations at the Seattle port.
According to reports, six members of the "Raging Grannies," a group of Seattle grandmothers, were arrested as they led five successful blockades around Terminal 5.
"My generation is responsible for how things are today. This rig will destroy any hope of a liveable future for our children and grandchildren," said Seattle granny Annette Klapstein. "It's our duty to be out here."
Organized under the rally cry of "sHell No!," the blockade follows five days of pickets at the port, as well as a mass protest and kayak "flotilla" late last month, which coincided with the arrival of the Arctic drilling fleet at Terminal 5. Environmental activists say that Seattle marks the new ground-zero in the fight against extreme energy extraction, amid a growing call for a more renewable, more sustainable power supply.
We Interrupt This Article with an Urgent Message! Common Dreams is a not-for-profit news service. All of our content is free to you - no subscriptions; no ads. We are funded by donations from our readers. This media model only works if enough readers pitch in. We have millions of readers every month and, it seems, too many take our survival for granted. It isn't. Our critical Mid-Year fundraiser is off to a very slow start - only 206 readers have contributed a total of $7,500 so far. We must raise $42,500 more before we can end this fundraising campaign and get back to focusing on what we do best. |
As the grassroots activist network Rising Tide Seattle explained, because the drilling season has to be timed exactly, demonstrators hope to stall operations long enough to disrupt Shell's planned Arctic oil exploration this summer.
"Shell only has until the end of June to make it up to the Arctic in time to drill this summer. We want to stop them from leaving," said Blaine Doherty, who was among the chained demonstrators. "The Port of Seattle has let us down and President Obama has let us down. We can't afford to let Shell drill in the Arctic if we want this planet to remain habitable."
Following the May protests, Shell obtained a "safety-zone injunction," which established buffer zones of 300 feet to roughly 5,000 feet for all of Shell's Arctic drilling fleet, barring protesters from approaching their ships. In a Guardian op-ed on Tuesday, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, writer and activist Naomi Klein, and Greenpeace USA chief Annie Leonard noted the irony of Shell's "safety" argument, given the company's clear contribution to the climate crisis.
"In a world serious about protecting its people and its climate, there would be a safety zone several miles outside the edge of Earth's atmosphere where Shell was not allowed, and a sign directing it to wreck Venus instead," they wrote. "Of course no court as yet has drawn a safety zone around the Arctic."
Images and updates from the action are being shared online.
\u201c92 year old Shirley had just been arrested blockading Terminal 5 https://t.co/YcUeAtWzSz #sHellNO\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1433867156
\u201cThe Grannies are smiling as police surround them and begin extraction. #Shellno #savethearctic\u201d— Rising Tide Seattle (@Rising Tide Seattle) 1433867898
\u201cMedia liaison said that grannies are being taken to the Southwest Precinct and then they'll be released.\u201d— Sydney Brownstone (@Sydney Brownstone) 1433868257
A fearless band of grannies faced down police officers and semi-trucks early Tuesday as they led a direct action blockading the entrances to the Seattle Port terminal where the Shell Oil's Polar Pioneer drilling rig is moored.
Continuing the fierce local fight at the home berth of the Arctic drilling fleet, activists used their bodies, chains, and cement-filled barrels to halt operations at the Seattle port.
According to reports, six members of the "Raging Grannies," a group of Seattle grandmothers, were arrested as they led five successful blockades around Terminal 5.
"My generation is responsible for how things are today. This rig will destroy any hope of a liveable future for our children and grandchildren," said Seattle granny Annette Klapstein. "It's our duty to be out here."
Organized under the rally cry of "sHell No!," the blockade follows five days of pickets at the port, as well as a mass protest and kayak "flotilla" late last month, which coincided with the arrival of the Arctic drilling fleet at Terminal 5. Environmental activists say that Seattle marks the new ground-zero in the fight against extreme energy extraction, amid a growing call for a more renewable, more sustainable power supply.
We Interrupt This Article with an Urgent Message! Common Dreams is a not-for-profit news service. All of our content is free to you - no subscriptions; no ads. We are funded by donations from our readers. This media model only works if enough readers pitch in. We have millions of readers every month and, it seems, too many take our survival for granted. It isn't. Our critical Mid-Year fundraiser is off to a very slow start - only 206 readers have contributed a total of $7,500 so far. We must raise $42,500 more before we can end this fundraising campaign and get back to focusing on what we do best. |
As the grassroots activist network Rising Tide Seattle explained, because the drilling season has to be timed exactly, demonstrators hope to stall operations long enough to disrupt Shell's planned Arctic oil exploration this summer.
"Shell only has until the end of June to make it up to the Arctic in time to drill this summer. We want to stop them from leaving," said Blaine Doherty, who was among the chained demonstrators. "The Port of Seattle has let us down and President Obama has let us down. We can't afford to let Shell drill in the Arctic if we want this planet to remain habitable."
Following the May protests, Shell obtained a "safety-zone injunction," which established buffer zones of 300 feet to roughly 5,000 feet for all of Shell's Arctic drilling fleet, barring protesters from approaching their ships. In a Guardian op-ed on Tuesday, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, writer and activist Naomi Klein, and Greenpeace USA chief Annie Leonard noted the irony of Shell's "safety" argument, given the company's clear contribution to the climate crisis.
"In a world serious about protecting its people and its climate, there would be a safety zone several miles outside the edge of Earth's atmosphere where Shell was not allowed, and a sign directing it to wreck Venus instead," they wrote. "Of course no court as yet has drawn a safety zone around the Arctic."
Images and updates from the action are being shared online.
\u201c92 year old Shirley had just been arrested blockading Terminal 5 https://t.co/YcUeAtWzSz #sHellNO\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1433867156
\u201cThe Grannies are smiling as police surround them and begin extraction. #Shellno #savethearctic\u201d— Rising Tide Seattle (@Rising Tide Seattle) 1433867898
\u201cMedia liaison said that grannies are being taken to the Southwest Precinct and then they'll be released.\u201d— Sydney Brownstone (@Sydney Brownstone) 1433868257