Sometimes the best protests are the most simple and symbolic. Yesterday, Shell’s shareholders and senior management at the company’s AGM in the Hague were presented with an “erratum” to the company’s recent Annual Report. The spoof report by Friends of the Earth looks like a real Shell report, until you start to read it. For … Read More
Shell
“Shell, Let’s Go Clean Nigeria!”
Just before dawn yesterday, activists from Friends of the Earth in the Netherlands scaled the front of Shell’s headquarters in the Hague and urged the company to “clean up” its operations in Nigeria. Some activists were dressed as oil-smeared birds. Others held pictures of polluted land or hung plastic strips appearing to smear Shell’s corporate … Read More
Nigeria: “Shell has access to everything”
One of the main concerns of the Ogoni activist and writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa was the collusion between Shell and the Nigerian Government. We already know that this collusion went from the top levels of the government to routine logistical and financial support for the military. Saro-Wiwa once said that one of their protests was “anti-Shell, … Read More
Saro-Wiwa Was Framed, New Evidence Shows
Fifteen years after the execution of Nigerian playwright and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, new compelling evidence has surfaced that suggests that the Nigerian military killed the four Ogoni elders that Saro-Wiwa was later accused of murdering. The new evidence also reveals that the soldier’s commander, the notorious Lt Col Okuntimo, who was implicated in murder and … Read More
Shell’s Nigerian PR Strategy Exposed
To mark the 15th Anniversary of the execution of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, we are exposing the public relations tactics that Shell employed to counter criticism of its operations in the country. The evidence is contained in documents collected for the landmark trial last year of Wiwa versus Shell, but they were never made public … Read More
Shell to Pay $30 Million to Settle Nigeria Bribery Case
Nigeria was once Shell’s jewel in its crown. But for so long it has been the thorn in its side. Whether its pollution, collusion, corruption, bribery or false accounting, Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary has been accused of them all. So many of the group’s problems keep coming back to Nigeria. The company settled out of court … Read More
Shell to Increase North American Output by 40 Percent
BP might be America’s bette noir right now after the Deepwater Horizon spill, but its fierce rival Shell is planning a massive expansion in the region. Shell plans to expand its operations in tar sands and in deepwater in the Gulf of Mexico. So never mind the repeated calls by environmental groups, communities and investors … Read More
Court rules companies can’t be sued under Alien Tort
This is bad news, which could have serious ramifications for holding companies legally accountable in the US for their operations abroad. And it has virtually received no press attention at all. Last Friday the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a suit brought by the Ogoni, who alleged that Shell was complicit in human … Read More
Nigeria: Independent Figures Dispute UN’s Findings
If a tobacco company gave the World Health Organisation a $10 million grant to examine the health effects of smoking, health campaigners would be outraged. They would also treat the results with great suspicion. And the fact that Shell gave UNEP $10 million dollars to examine the cause of oil spills in Ogoni means that … Read More
Back In the Other Gulf, Shell Appeals Landmark Ruling
BP may be paying out money faster than its going out of fashion for the Gulf of Mexico spill, but its arch-rival Shell is still not ready to part with its cash. Yesterday, the oil giant’s Nigerian subsidiary, SPDC, announced that it was going to appeal against the judgment of a Federal High Court, which … Read More