COP26: Ocean Rebellion protest at Ineos Grangemouth triggers huge police presence

Ocean Rebellion protesters gathered outside oil refinery Ineos Grangemouth – Scotland’s biggest polluter - and vomited fake ‘oil’ onto the ground.
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Some of the protesters wore oil canisters on their heads and acted out vomiting plant based water-soluble ‘oil’, while others dressed in black theatrical costumes to represent an oil spill.

The group projected slogans onto the refinery, which included: NO CAMBO OIL FIELD, BORIS IS A TOOL OF THE FOSSIL FOOLS, IneosDIOTS, BPeeing ON HUMANITY, TAX SHIPPING FUEL NOW among others.

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Ocean Rebellion said that the action was intended to represent “the sad fact that many Scottish jobs are reliant on the Fossil Fuel industry, making Scottish communities vulnerable to any change in global fossil fuel policies”.

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The so-far peaceful protest, which is ongoing, is being overlooked by a large number of police.

A spokesperson for Ocean Rebellion, Rob Higgs said: “We are tired of successive backhanded subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. Weak international shipping legislation allows ships to burn heavy fuel oil (HFO), an oil byproduct so toxic that one large ship creates as much pollution as one million car exhausts.”

Roc Sandford, also from Ocean Rebellion, said: “How can the UK government talk about ‘leading the world on commitments to the planet’ when this government has increased subsidies to the oil and gas industry by £2billion? Stop the back-handers now and give us some near-term commitments which will genuinely drive emission reductions. Stop the greenwashing and begin leading, now.”

Ocean Rebellion protesters are overlooked by police, as they 'vomit oil' at Ineos Grangemouth.Ocean Rebellion protesters are overlooked by police, as they 'vomit oil' at Ineos Grangemouth.
Ocean Rebellion protesters are overlooked by police, as they 'vomit oil' at Ineos Grangemouth.
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Yesterday, an INEOS Grangemouth spokesperson said: “Most people are aware of press coverage highlighting protests across Scotland and the UK in the lead up to and during COP 26”.

"We take the safety and security of our staff, site, community and the public extremely seriously. We constantly review our site security and as a precautionary measure have put additional resource in place during the period of COP 26”.

“We welcome the spotlight on Climate Change that the COP26 event in Glasgow will bring. As one of Scotland’s most important manufacturing sites we have publically stated our pledge to reduce our own emissions to Net Zero by 2045 including setting ambitious targets for 2030 and a track record of a 37% CO2 reduction since INEOS took over the site in 2005".

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Ocean Rebellion protesters dressed in black theatrical costumes to represent an oil slick at Ineos Grangemouth.Ocean Rebellion protesters dressed in black theatrical costumes to represent an oil slick at Ineos Grangemouth.
Ocean Rebellion protesters dressed in black theatrical costumes to represent an oil slick at Ineos Grangemouth.

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