Police arrest environmental campaigners trying to block delivery of Russian oil

Peaceful Assembly

On 25th April 2022 Norwegian police arrested 20 activists from environmental groups Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion for trying to prevent an oil tanker from delivering 95,000 tons of Russian oil to an Exxon Mobil (Esso Norway) terminal. The action was carried out in the framework of a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the relationship between Norway and Putin-led Russia. Frode Pleym, head of Greenpeace Norway, explained that the trade of oil with Russia is not only detrimental for the environment and worsens climate change, but also supports “Putin's warfare”. Representatives of Esso Norway declared that the shipment of oil had already been agreed to before the war and that no other trade with Russia is foreseen in the near future, in accordance with Norwegian sanctions against the country. They also specified that the tanker’s cargo was destined for the shipping industry. Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion urged the Norwegian government to stop any oil trade with Russia, regardless of previous agreements.