February 16, 2005

WHOSE BRIGHT IDEA WAS IT TO TAKE ON DRUNK OILMEN?:

Kyoto protest beaten back by inflamed petrol traders (Laura Peek and Liz Chong, 2/17/05, Times of London)

WHEN 35 Greenpeace protesters stormed the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) yesterday they had planned the operation in great detail.

What they were not prepared for was the post-prandial aggression of oil traders who kicked and punched them back on to the pavement.

“We bit off more than we could chew. They were just Cockney barrow boy spivs. Total thugs,” one protester said, rubbing his bruised skull. “I’ve never seen anyone less amenable to listening to our point of view.”

Another said: “I took on a Texan Swat team at Esso last year and they were angels compared with this lot.” Behind him, on the balcony of the pub opposite the IPE, a bleary-eyed trader, pint in hand, yelled: “Sod off, Swampy.”

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 16, 2005 10:30 PM
Comments

Obviously, the Greepeace people never took the phrase "rough and tumble oil industry" seriously.

(And I'd assume the Texas SWAT team Esso thing must be a reference to the ExxonMobil stockholders meeting in Dallas, since Esso was banned from operating in Texas 75 years ago. John D and the kids had to buy Humble Oil and run the company as Enco just to get into the state for the next 40 years, and that's why the company eventually reorganized as Exxon.)

Posted by: John at February 16, 2005 11:13 PM

Gotta love it.

Posted by: jd watson at February 17, 2005 1:54 AM

How dare they respond to violence and intmidation with violence and intimidation! Don't those brutes understand the rules of the game? If everyone reacts this way, it's gonna take all the fun out of being a bully.

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at February 17, 2005 2:21 AM

I'm reminded of the one good thing France did in the twentieth century...

Posted by: at February 17, 2005 6:05 AM

Next time, let's have "Kyoto protest beaten back by inflamed petrol." That'd be hot!

Posted by: Mike Morley at February 17, 2005 6:21 AM

I occasionally have to provide tech support for traders at work; the stresses of their job tend to attract, or result it, rather unreasonable people.

Posted by: Mike Earl at February 17, 2005 10:58 AM
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