Greta Thunberg was arrested after joining hundreds of protesters who gathered at a five-star hotel in London on Tuesday morning to denounce a meeting branded “the Oscars of oil”.
Footage showed the Swedish climate activist being bundled into the back of a van by police after taking part in protests blocking the entrances of the InterContinental on Park Lane, the venue for the Energy Intelligence Forum (EIF), which brings together fossil fuel executives and government ministers.
Critics have called the event the “oily money conference”, in a nod to its previous name, the Oil & Money conference.
Addressing journalists before joining the protest, Thunberg said: “Behind these closed doors at the oil and money conference, spineless politicians are making deals and compromises with lobbyists from destructive industries, the fossil fuel industry.
“People all over the world are suffering and dying from the consequences of the climate crisis caused by these industries who we allow to meet with our politicians and have privileged access to.
“The elites of the oil and money conference, they have no intention of transition. Their plan is to continue this destructive search for profits. That is why we have to take direct action to stop this and to kick oil money out of politics. We have no other option but to put our bodies outside this conference and to physically disrupt [it].”
Dozens of protesters blocked Hamilton Place at each end with banners and pink umbrellas with eyes painted on them, shouting “oily money out” and “cancel the conference”, while others lit yellow and pink smoke flares.
The hotel was cordoned off with fencing, and police escorted delegates through the crowd of chanting activists. A text message sent to delegates by the EIF organisers, obtained by the Guardian, warned them not to try to enter the hotel without help from the police, adding: “For your own safety do not attempt to cross the protest line.”
A statement uploaded to social media by the Metropolitan police said there had been “interventions by officers to enable members of the public safe access in and out of the venue”. Six people were arrested for obstructing the highway, and a further 14 for breaching conditions on the protest imposed under section 14 of the Public Order Act.
The EIF was due to hear from the chief executives of Aramco, Repsol, Shell, TotalEnergies and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, among others.
The agenda included panels discussing questions such as “how far will renewable power go?”, “will net zero remain the standard?” and “how best to navigate climate, supply security and shareholder returns”. The event will culminate in an award ceremony with prizes for the “energy executive of the year” and the “energy leaders for tomorrow”.
Fossil Free London, a climate campaign group, organised the protests. Robin Wells, its director, described the conference as an event “at which bigwigs are schmoozing politicians, including our elected representatives”.
She said: “It’s been going on for years and we think it shouldn’t any more, because these events are just a constant opportunity for the oil industry to lobby our politicians and ensure they are able to continue to corrupt our political processes.”
Wells said the conference had been due to hear from Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi national oil company and president of Cop28, which is due to take place in November. However, Al Jaber did not appear in the most updated roster, Wells said.
As the protest was under way, Greenpeace activists appeared on a balcony near the roof of the hotel dressed in climbing gear and began abseiling down the front. After securing a rolled-up banner, they began descending the facade, revealing the message Make Big Oil Pay.
However, strong winds meant they were unable to attach the bottom of the banner, with the abseilers blown across the front of the building, trying to keep a grip on the ropes it was attached to as it was caught by strong gusts.
The mission was then stopped and the banner pulled back to the top of the hotel.
The forum’s organiser, Energy Intelligence, has been approached for comment.
