Students protest against Shell Oil

Students marched from Warwick to Leamington wearing white jumpsuits and helmets in the ‘Shell Hell March’ on 20 October. The march was organised by the Amnesty International Student Society in collaboration with the Leamington & Warwick local Amnesty group. The purpose of the march was to raise awareness about Shell’s illegal gas flaring in Nigeria, which it is claimed is destroying the environment and the economy of that country. On the march, a long black banner and leaflets were distributed to passersby, who reacted generally in a positive way.

Oil flaring is the burning of excess gases in the oil refining process, and contributes heavily to greenhouse gas emissions. Shell’s oil flaring is blamed for nine millions of barrels of oil being wasted over the last fifty years, twice as much as spilled in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year.

The Warwick protest was just a part of a bigger national movement which started last year to approach people and get their attention on this problem. Since then, Shell has reduced of a third the gas-flaring.

A symbol of this fight is Ken-Saro Wiwa, a writer and activist who fought against this environmental degradation but was arrested, condemned by a military tribunal and hanged in 1995. Shell, accused of colluding with the Nigerian government and the military, has always refused to clarify its position.

“If even one of the students knows something more about this catastrophe it’s a success, but the University should help informing better the students” stated Elaine, researcher of the society.

One of the next actions of the society will be a protest against the multinational corporation Coca-Cola. “It takes 3 litres of water to make 1 litre of Coke. This water is taken in India, blocking the rivers and making the local people thirsty” explained Sarah Clayton, the president of the Amnesty International Society. “it’s just a question of choice: there are many other drinks that are more ‘human friendly’, we just have to change our habits.”