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For Immediate Release
September, 21 2010, 12:01pm EDT
Contact:
Email:,pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org
Greenpeacers Climb Giant Oil Rig off Scotland to Stop Chevron Drilling Project, while Gulf Expedition Researches True Impact of BP oil disaster
Before dawn today Greenpeace activists occupied
a giant oil drilling ship anchored one mile off Lerwick, Scotland, to
prevent its departure to begin dangerous deep water drilling in an
ecological sensitive area known as the Atlantic Frontier. Meanwhile,
independent researchers on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise are
studying the extent, composition and impacts of the oil and gas that
entered the Gulf of Mexico's deep water following the oil spill.
Shetlands Islands, Scotland
Before dawn today Greenpeace activists occupied
a giant oil drilling ship anchored one mile off Lerwick, Scotland, to
prevent its departure to begin dangerous deep water drilling in an
ecological sensitive area known as the Atlantic Frontier. Meanwhile,
independent researchers on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise are
studying the extent, composition and impacts of the oil and gas that
entered the Gulf of Mexico's deep water following the oil spill.
The Greenpeace activists used speedboats to reach the 750 foot long
Stena Carron drill ship. Having climbed up the giant rungs of the
anchor chain, Victor Rask from Sweden and Anais Schneider from Germany
are now hanging more than 16 feet above the waves in a tent suspended
by ropes from one of the three foot long rungs, rendering the ship
unable to move. Operated by US energy giant Chevron, the Stena Carron
is due to sail for a site in the Lagavulin oil field where it plans to
drill an exploratory well in more than 1600 feet of water.
Anais and Victor have just returned from a Greenpeace expedition to
the Arctic, where they were members of the team that stopped drilling at
a controversial deep water drilling rig operated by Edinburgh-based
Cairn Energy.
Speaking this morning by satellite phone from the tent hanging from the Chevron anchor chain, 29 year old Anais said:
"It was incredible to climb up the anchor chain, the rungs were
nearly as big as I am and Chevron's drilling ship is one of the biggest
things I've ever seen at sea. I'm in the tent now and we have supplies
to last through to tomorrow at least, meaning we can stop it leaving
to drill for oil in deep water. The Shetlands are so beautiful and an
oil spill here could devastate this area and the North Sea. It's time
to go beyond oil. Our addiction is harming the climate, the natural
world and our chances of building a clean energy future."
In the Gulf of Mexico, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise continues a
three-month research expedition with a Texas A&M University team
on board studying the extent, composition and impacts of the oil and
gas that has entered the Gulf's deep water following the oil spill.
Following the report released in early August by the National Incident
Command that revealed that between three and four million barrels of oil
remain in the Gulf environment, this research will make an important
contribution to increasing our understanding of the environmental
aftermath of the spill. The work will include documenting the status of
the chemical and biological aspects of the Gulf's waters, in order to
assess the impact of the oil spill on the gulf ecosystems, gauging
dissolved oxygen levels as a tool to locate areas affected by the oil
and gas.
The Arctic Sunrise is performing transects of the Gulf in an area to
the west of the Deepwater Horizon site, south of Texas and Louisiana,
collecting water samples from depths of up to two kilometers. The ship
will also spend time close to the disaster site, where the science team
plans to take sediment samples, to find out how much oil has reached
the sea floor.
###
To reach the Arctic Sunrise and the researchers on board, contact Dave Walsh, Media Officer, Greenpeace, +31 20 712 2616 dwalsh@greenpeace.org or Molly Dorozenski, 917-864-3724
For
more information about efforts to challenge Chevron's Shetlands
Islands drilling project, contact Szabina Mozes, Greenpeace
International Communication on +31 646 16 2023
For video and
stills contact Melissa Thompson, Greenpeace International Video Desk: +
31 621 296899; John Novis, Greenpeace International Picture Desk: +44
(0) 7801 615 889
Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
+31 20 718 2000LATEST NEWS
Wilson in Seattle and Mamdani in New York Back Starbucks Workers Strike
"I am not buying Starbucks and you should not either."
Nov 15, 2025
The mayors-elect in both Seattle and New York City are backing the nationwide strike by Starbucks baristas launched this week, calling on the people of their respective cities to honor the consumer boycott of the coffee giant running parallel to the strike so that workers can win their fight for better working conditions.
“Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee,” Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who will take control of the New York City's mayor office on January 1, declared in a social media post to his more than 1 million followers.
In Seattle, mayor-elect Katie Wilson, who on Thursday was declared the winner of the race in Seattle, where Starbucks was founded and where its corporate headquarters remains, joined the picket line with striking workers in her city on the very same day to show them her support.
"I am not buying Starbucks and you should not either,” Wilson told the crowd.
She also delivered a message directly to the corporate leadership of Starbucks. "This is your hometown and mine," she said. "Seattle's making some changes right now, and I urge you to do the right thing. Because in Seattle, when workers' rights are under attack, what do we do?" To which the crowd responded in a chant-style response: "Stand up! Fight back!"
Socialist Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson's first move after winning the election was to boycott Starbucks, a hometown company. pic.twitter.com/zPoNULxfuk
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) November 14, 2025
In his post, Mamdani said, "Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract," as he called for people everywhere to honor the picket line by not buying from the company.
At a rally with New York City workers outside a Starbucks location on Thursday, Mamdani referenced the massive disparity between profits and executive pay at the company compared to what the average barista makes.
Zohran Mamdani says that New York City stands with Starbucks employees!He points out their CEO made 96 billion last year. That’s 6,666 times the median Starbucks worker salary. Boycott Starbucks. Support the workers. Demand they receive a living wage.
[image or embed]
— Kelly (@broadwaybabyto.bsky.social) November 12, 2025 at 10:45 PM
The striking workers, said Mamdani, "are asking for a salary they can actually live off of. They are asking for hours they can actually build their life around. They are asking for the violations of labor law to finally be resolved. And they deserve a city that has their back and I am here to say that is what New York City will be."
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Nov 15, 2025
President Donald Trump and his administration have claimed repeatedly that the immigration raids that have terrorized communities nationwide this year are focused on getting the "worst of the worst" off the streets and out of the country, but new detention data filed by the Department of Justice on Friday shows that only a tiny fraction of the more than 600 people who remain in detention in the Chicago area from raids over recent months have any criminal record, bolstering anecdotal evidence that many of those targeted for by ICE and federal border agents are hard-working, law-abiding members of society.
According to the Chicago Tribune:
The Trump administration on Friday released the names of 614 people whose Chicago-area immigration arrests may have violated a 2022 consent decree, and only 16 of them have criminal histories that present a “high public safety risk.”
The list was produced as part of an ongoing lawsuit alleging immigration agents have repeatedly violated the terms of the in-court settlement, mostly during “Operation Midway Blitz,” that puts a high bar on making so-called warrantless arrests without a prior warrant or probable cause.
The newspaper reports that of the 16 people arrested with criminal histories—representing just 2.6% of the total listed in the filing— "five involved domestic battery, two were related to drunken driving, and one allegedly had an unidentified criminal history in another country." None had criminal backgrounds that included worst-of-the-worst offenses like rape or murder.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ordered the government to provide more information about the more than 600 people being held in detention and suggested he would order their release if compelling public-safety reasons were not presented. While ordering the immediate release of 13 people he deemed were arrested unlawfully, Cummings gave the government until Friday to release the additional information on those being held.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the list of 614 detainees comes from a longer list of roughly 1,800 individuals arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Chicago area between June 11 and October 7, of which "only about 750 of them remain in the country." Most of the others were deported, and their criminal histories were not presented in Friday's disclosure.
The consent decree at issue, known as the Castañon-Nava settlement agreement, restricts the ability of ICE agents or others working with them to make warrantless arrests in Illinois.
“Communities throughout the Chicago area have been traumatized by ICE and other federal agents’ chaotic and violent actions in our neighborhoods in recent months, and potentially hundreds of families already have been permanently separated as a result of unlawful arrests and rapid deportations without due process," said Mark Fleming, associate director of litigation for the National Immigration Justice Center (NIJC), who is backing the legal case against the unlawful arrests and detentions in Chicago, after the order issued by Cummings on Wednesday.
"NIJC and our partners will continue to demand justice for our communities and accountability for the lawless administration we all are facing.”
During Wednesday's hearing, the judge suggested many of those who remain in detention likely have no history of criminal conduct and were targeted by federal agents simply for fitting a specific profile. As the Sun-Times reports:
Cummings said that 54 of those people were arrested at work, including 20 landscapers and four ride-share or taxi drivers. Twenty were arrested commuting to or from work, he added, and nine were arrested at a Home Depot or Menards, “presumably either seeking work or to pick up supplies.”
Seven were also arrested at an “immigration-related hearing,” Cummings said, while 11 were arrested in public places like a park, gas station or even a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru.
“It seems highly likely to me that at least some of those individuals are among the 615 detainees who are not subject to mandatory detention,” Cummings said. He also found them unlikely to be members of gangs, “assorted other ne’er-do-wells” or the “worst of the worst.”
Community members living in Chicago and its outlying suburbs, including Broadview, have expressed anger at Trump's ICE operations in the region, which have seen school teachers, childcare providers, day laborers, and other neighbors targeted and arrested.
On Friday, 21 people were arrested outside the immigration detention center in Broadview following a morning demonstration outside the facility.
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Nov 14, 2025
Although President Donald Trump didn't actually confess that his global trade war is driving up the cost of groceries for Americans, he did finally drop his dubiously named "reciprocal" tariffs on key imports on Friday.
According to a White House fact sheet, Trump's new executive order ends his tariffs on beef; cocoa and spices; coffee and tea; bananas, oranges, and tomatoes; other tropical fruits and fruit juices; and fertilizers.
The New York Times had reported Thursday that "the Trump administration is preparing broad exemptions to certain tariffs in an effort to ease elevated food prices that have provoked anxiety for American consumers."
The reporting drew critiques of the administration's economic policies, including from members of Congress such as Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who said that "Trump just admitted it: Americans are footing the bill for his disastrous tariffs."
"While this move may alleviate some of the cost increases Trump caused, it will not stop the larger problems of rising inflation, business uncertainty, and economic damage done by Trump's crazy tariff scheme."
Also responding to the Times reporting, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote on social media Friday: "After months of increasing grocery prices, Donald Trump is finally admitting he was wrong. Americans are literally paying the price for Trump's mistakes."
More lawmakers and other critics piled on after Trump issued the order. CNN's Jim Sciutto said: "Trump administration now acknowledging what economists and business leaders have told us from the beginning: that tariffs are driving up prices."
MeidasTouch and its editor in chief, Ron Filipkowski, also called out the president on social media, with the outlet sarcastically noting, "But Trump said his tariffs don't raise prices."
OR, Trump Admits His Tariffs Caused Grocery Prices to Rise.
[image or embed]
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) November 14, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Congressman Don Beyer (D-Va), who serves on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, said in a Friday statement that "President Trump is finally admitting what we always knew: His tariffs are raising prices for the American people."
"After getting drubbed in recent elections because of voters' fury that Trump has broken his promises to fix inflation, the White House is trying to cast this tariff retreat as a 'pivot to affordability,'" Beyer said, referencing Democrats who won key races last week, from more moderate Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, the incoming governors of New Jersey and Virginia, to democratic socialist Mayors-elect Zohran Mamdani of New York City and Katie Wilson of Seattle.
In addition to those electoral victories for Democrats, last week featured a debate over Trump's trade war at the US Supreme Court. According to Beyer: "The simple truth is that Republicans want credit for something they think the Supreme Court will force them to do anyway, after oral arguments before the court on Trump's illegal abuses of trade authorities went badly for the administration. Trump is still keeping the vast majority of his tariffs in place, and his administration is also planning new tariffs in anticipation of a Supreme Court loss."
"The same logic—that Trump's tariffs are driving up prices on coffee, fruit, and other comestibles—is equally true for the thousands of other goods on which his tariffs remain," he continued. "While this move may alleviate some of the cost increases Trump caused, it will not stop the larger problems of rising inflation, business uncertainty, and economic damage done by Trump's crazy tariff scheme."
"Only Congress can do that, by reclaiming its legal responsibility under the Constitution to regulate trade, and permanently ending Trump's trade war chaos," he stressed. "All but a handful of Republicans in Congress are still refusing to stand up to Trump, stop his tariffs, and lower costs for the American people, and unless they find a backbone, our economy will continue to suffer."
Huh. Trump dropped the tariffs on coffee, beef, and tropical fruit to LOWER PRICES. I thought other countries paid for those?
— Angry (@angrystaffer.bsky.social) November 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM
As the Associated Press noted Friday, "The president signed the executive order after announcing that the U.S. had reached framework agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Argentina designed to ease import levies on agricultural products produced in those countries."
Trump's order also came just a day after Democrats on the congressional Joint Economic Committee released a report showing that US families are paying roughly $700 more each month for basic items since Trump returned to office in January—with households in some states, such as Alaska and California, facing an average of over $1,000 monthly.
The president has floated sending Americans a $2,000 check, purportedly funded by revenue collected from his tariffs, but as Common Dreams reported Wednesday, economist Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research crunched the numbers and found that the proposed "dividend" doesn't add up.
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