Just The Picket
An Esso petrol station on Oxpens Road was picketed by local residents and students from Greenpeace and 'People and Planet' on Saturday as part of a global boycott of Esso.
The protestors, including two 'Esso tigers', handed out leaflets and talked to drivers about Esso's allegedly 'ungreen' policies. Many vehicles turned away or drove through the forecourt without buying petrol, whilst others showed their support by beeping their horns in response to signs held by campaigners.
Greenpeace and 'People and Planet', a national student activist network, are part of the 'stop Esso' campaign. They claim that Esso has encouraged the US not to commit to global climate change initiatives including the Kyoto protocol.
Student Susannah Fisher, leader of Oxford's 'People and Planet', said that the picket was "hugely successful, as consumers went away more informed about the choices they were making and Esso was shown how much people care about global warming."
An Esso spokesman denied the campaigners' claims, saying that Esso was a "responsible company" which has been taking "real and positive action" to lower fuel emissions. He added that full conversion to renewable sources of energy was "unrealistic".
29th Jan 2004