Greenpeace shuts down Exxon at Beverly and La Cienega

Los Angeles, CA, 19 October 2002 — Greenpeace activists shut down a Mobil gas station today in the heart of Beverly Hills just minutes after shutting down an Exxon station in Manhattan. Protestors peacefully chained themselves to gas pumps at both locations and dropped a banner that read, "Stop Global Warming, Don't Buy ExxonMobil." The protests mark the start of a national day of action against ExxonMobil by environmental, human rights and pro-democracy groups.

"We are here today with a simple message – don't buy ExxonMobil products until they stop interfering with government action on global warming," said Melanie Duchin, Greenpeace Climate Campaigner. "It's time for concerned citizens to use the power of the pocketbook to force the world's number global warming villain to change its ways."

The Los Angeles protest mirrored the lockdown that took place simultaneously at an Exxon station in New York City. In Los Angeles, Greenpeace activists were joined by celebrities, including Ingo Rademacher, Karen Smith, Orlando Bloom, Dominic Keating, and Max Gail. In New York, 10 Greenpeace activists were arrested and the gas station was shut down for close to 2 hours. Activists are also demonstrating at another 50 Exxon and Mobil stations across the nation.

"Greenpeace has launched an international campaign against ExxonMobil that will continue until the company stops sabotaging government action on global warming, and agrees to support mandatory reductions in global warming pollution," said Gary Cook, Greenpeace Climate Campaign Coordinator. "In Europe and elsewhere, ExxonMobil is already feeling the heat from Greenpeace and consumers – now the campaign is being ramped up in the United States."

Greenpeace has documented ExxonMobil's efforts to prevent action on global warming in a report entitled, "Denial and Deception: A Chronicle of ExxonMobil's Corruption of the Global Warming Debate." Despite multiple appeals from Greenpeace and others, ExxonMobil has refused to change its policy. The company is using its sizable resources to support top politicians, like President Bush, in an effort to stifle U.S. action on global warming.