Extinction Rebellion Protest Calls for Wytch Farm Oil Farm Closure Over Recent Oil Spill
Members of Extinction Rebellion made their voices heard at Poole Quay demanding action following the oil spill at Wytch Farm.
Local climate protestors have ordered the closure of an oil field site in Dorset after a recent spill led to six tonnes of crude oil leaking into Poole Harbour.
On March 26th a leak at the Wytch Farm oil field, on the Isle of Purbeck, led to a fluid mixture containing oil, spilling into the ground around it and into the watercourse including Poole Harbour.
The mixture, which contained around 15% crude oil, came from a burst pipe on the oil site, which is one of the largest in Britain.
Poole Harbour Commissioners declared the event a major incident later in the day after estimating that up to six tonnes of crude oil, which is equivalent to around 200 barrels, has since leaked into the sea affecting Poole Harbour and the wildlife around it.
Oil was then spotted across the harbour on March 26th-27th, as far across as the Quay in Poole and Hamworthy, which sits opposite Wytch Farms oil field site.
Environmental groups including Extinction Rebellion were quick to criticise Perenco, the company which owns the Wytch Farm site. A protest held on Monday afternoon was staged by Extinction Rebellion BCP and XR Wimborne.
Protestors at Poole Quay dressed brightly, banging drums, and chanting to get their message out to the world to demand action against pipeline operators at Perenco.
At the protest the groups demanded the closure of Wytch Farms oil field site. They held placards which read: “Invest in renewables”, “Perenco stop your risky business", "Save our sea horses", "Perenco out", "Oil spills destroy nature and harm human health", among others with one young boy holding a sign saying, “Filthy fossil fuels wrecking our coast and my future".
Extinction Rebellion Members, holding placards. (Photo: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion Members, holding placards. (Photo: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion Members, holding placards. (Photo: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion Members, holding placards. (Photo: Bethany White)
One of the most vocal at the protest was Joanna Bury, coordinator of the Extinction Rebellion Wimbourne, holding placards and leading the chant with a group she calls the “Pink Rebels”.
Dressed in a bright stand out pink hazmat suit, she believes that we are in “an ecological emergency at the moment” and that we should be protecting nature and coming up with renewable alternatives and not destroying it by supporting oil companies such as Perenco and oil fields like Wytch Farm.
“We are a part of nature and if we allow nature to be destroyed then we are destroying are world and are home are only home planet earth.”
She stands with the other group members leading the crowd for action to be taken against Wytch Farm and Perenco in hope that this incident may now get the site and the company shut down for good.
Joanna also talks about how none of these incidents would happen if we finally transitioned away from fossil fuels to safer renewable energy sources such as solar power or wind power.
Joanna Bury (Extinction Rebellion Wimbourne Member) (Video: Bethany White)
Joanna Bury (Extinction Rebellion Wimbourne Member) (Video: Bethany White)
Joanna Bury (Extinction Rebellion Wimbourne Member) with the "Pink Rebels" (Photo: Bethany White)
Joanna Bury (Extinction Rebellion Wimbourne Member) with the "Pink Rebels" (Photo: Bethany White)
Caroline Dennet Coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland, and Dorset also attended the protest as she says the event “was very close to home for her”.
Caroline stands with the other protestors furious that the council taxpayers of Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, and Dorset now must pay for the oil spill clean-up.
“They need to empty their pockets and get on with it as soon as they can”.
She speaks about how Wytch Farm need to “shut up shop and leave” as she believes we should be keeping what’s left of the oil in the ground as we can’t be dealing or tolerating with these risks to the environment any longer.
She stands with the other protestors as she talks about her concerns for the wildlife with the oil now being in Poole Harbour and Quay.
Caroline expresses the groups goals and aims of what they want to get out of the protest.
“What we are looking for is an admission by Perenco that their operations are frankly unsafe, and they are not fit for purpose”.
She also calls upon Dorset Council to revoke their license as she believes the site is very old and that their maintenance and safety controls are not doing what they should be doing.
Caroline Dennet (Coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland, and Dorset) (Audio: Bethany White)
Caroline Dennet (Coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland, and Dorset) (Audio: Bethany White)
Caroline Dennet (Coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland, and Dorset) with Extinction Rebellion Member (Picture: Bethany White)
Caroline Dennet (Coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland, and Dorset) with Extinction Rebellion Member (Picture: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion members getting ready to start the protest. (Picture: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion members getting ready to start the protest. (Picture: Bethany White)
Caroline Dennet (Coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland, and Dorset) with Extinction Rebellion members. (Picture: Bethany White)
Caroline Dennet (Coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland, and Dorset) with Extinction Rebellion members. (Picture: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion members holding a placard. (Picture: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion members holding a placard. (Picture: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion members banging drums. (Video: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion members banging drums. (Video: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion members the "Pink Rebels" with Joanna Bury chanting. (Video: Bethany White)
Extinction Rebellion members the "Pink Rebels" with Joanna Bury chanting. (Video: Bethany White)
Defra Minister Lord Benyon told the House of Lords the Government will make sure the firm responsible will cough up for damages and that Perenco, which owns the oil field at Wytch Farm in Dorset, will be responsible for paying for the consequences of the leak.
He said: 'There are overlaying environmental designations, it's a very special area indeed.
'It also has an enormous amount of human activity, not least of which is for the tourist income for the local area.
At the moment there are wintering Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit and Curlew present in the harbour which are at risk due to the recent oil spill. There may also be a risk to the many birds that fish here, such as the Sandwich Terns and Ospreys.
The National Trust has reported oil washing up on the shores of Brownsea Island, an important nature reserve and one of the only few habitats left in the UK for red squirrels.
The RSPB also reported at the time 20 birds which were around the harbour covered in oil smudges because of the spill.
Brian Bleese, the chief executive of the Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: 'We call on Perenco to put in more resources to clean it up, before it has a potentially devastating impact.'
Shell fisherman were also forced to lower their nets following the oil spill in Poole Harbour for the foreseeable future. They were given no timeframe as to when the threat of poison and contamination to crustacean fish in the harbour is likely to ease having a massive impact on their livelihoods.
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