Protests against Shell’s seismic blasting saw South Africans stand together from Muizenberg to Hout Bay and now, the UK in opposition to the fuel giant’s decisions to pursue endeavours that is predicted to endanger marine life part of the Wild Coast, and massively disrupt our ocean’s eco-systems.
UK-Africans joined the pursuit of protection by lending their voices in protest outside the South African embassy in London, dubbing Shell’s endeavour a ‘harsh punishment to Africans’.
The Trafalgar Square protestors all have South African roots in one way or another. Hayley Reichert and Paris Oomadath were both born in KZN, while the third organiser, Kate Swart spent most of her life living in the Xhosa villages of the Wild Coast, as News24 reports.
According to them, Shell’s seismic exploration would result in a “complete marine ecosystem collapse” which would have disastrous effects on marine life and local indigenous communities.
The UK addition to the protests is an important step in taking the #stopshell movement to global stages. In terms of making headway against Shell, roughly under 400 000 signatures have joined the petition against the company’s decision toward seismic data collection. In terms of legal action, an appeal to stop Shell’s movements was unsuccessful as the Eastern Cape High Court dismissed the urgent application. The High Court in Makhanda still needs to make its decision.
Fuel companies have also cut ties with Shell endorsements in an act of solidarity, strongly disagreeing with the actions that Shell has deemed ‘safe data collection.’
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Picture: oceansnotoil