International Socialist Resistance anti-war activity in Leicester

Protest at BP on 8 Feb: NO WAR FOR OIL!

Protest at BP petrol station, Narborough Road, Leicester.

On Saturday 8 Feb, International Socialist Resistance (ISR) members successfully blockaded the BP petrol station on a very busy Narborough Road.

We had banners, placards and very official looking fluorescent yellow jackets! The support from passers by and motorists was tremendous; we even got applause for our speeches through the megaphone! Hardly any cars pulled in to the petrol station while we were there.

We were there to highlight the links between Blair and BP, and the oil companies and the war. George Bush’s links with oil companies are already well known – we wanted to show this is also true of Blair.

BP's (British Petroleum) chief executive, Lord Browne, stated at the end of October 2002; "We have to let it be known that the thing we would like to make sure, if Iraq changes regime is that there is a level playing field for the selection of oil companies to go in there"

In other words, BP intends to profit out of it! If war goes ahead, thousands of people will lose their lives; this is what making profits means for ordinary people.

Lord Browne is close to the prime minister. Blair added a peerage to the oilman's knighthood after he helped end the fuel protests of summer 2000.

Anji Hunter, Blair's former special assistant on a wage of £120,000 is now Browne's director of communications on £200,000.

Nick Butler, strategic policy advisor for BP is a former Labour candidate.

We don’t need to go on! We don’t think it is a case of just picking on BP – we are against capitalism as a whole!, Nor do we think one short protest is going to stop the war – but we want to play our part in building mass civil disobedience against the war.

More pics are here

Other Leicester ISR activity

Past anti-war action in Leicester

Leicester isr: leicesterisr@yahoo.co.uk