[Imc-birmingham] Hands Off Iraqi Oil Feature

Fri Feb 29 10:45:00 PST 2008

Shiar wrote:

>On Tue, February 26, 2008 3:03 am, phunkee wrote:
>  
>
>>There's a feature about the national day of action called for by Hands
>>Off Iraqi Oil. There was an action in Birmingham and a series of banner
>>drops in Coventry.
>>
>>Should we simply cut and paste the existing feature on the uk's front
>>page or should we write a bit more about what happened here?
>>    
>>
>
>I would personally prefer the second if anyone could be arsed.
>
>  
>
Here's a quick draft of a feature i knocked up this morning:

Protesters and Local People Demand Hands Off Iraqi Oil!

As part of the international day of action called by <a 
href="http://www.handsoffiraqioil.org">Hands Off Iraqi Oil</a> on 
Saturday 23rd February, a group of protesters and local people closed 
down a Shell forecourt for two hours in <a 
href="/en/regions/birmingham/2008/02/392445.html">Birmingham</a> whilst 
in < a href="/en/regions/birmingham/2008/02/392106.html">Coventry</a> 
there was a series of 5 banner drops. Both actions sent a defiant 
message of solidarity to Iraqi oil workers resisting attempts to steal 
billions of dollars in oil revenue from their devastated country.

<p>Since 2003, the UK and US governments, the IMF, and various oil 
corporations including Shell and BP are trying to force through a <a 
href="http://www.handsoffiraqioil.org/2007/01/quotes-from-iraqiusuk-governments-oil.html">proposed 
oil law</a> which will allow oil corporations <a 
href="/en/2007/02/362892.html">unhindered access to their oil 
wealth</a>, bypassing the Iraqi economy entirely</p>

<p>Elsewhere the callout for action resulted in actions in, <a 
href="/en/2008/02/392147.html">London</a>, <a 
href="/en/2008/02/392219.html">Liverpool</a>, <a 
href="/en/2008/02/392134.html">Wrexham</a>, <a 
href="/en/2008/02/392106.html">Coventry</a>, <a 
href="http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/687974">Bristol</a>, <a 
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/54194590@N00/sets/72157603967438200">Southend, 
<a href="http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2008/02/50361.shtml">Amsterdam</a> 
and <a href="http://priceofoil.org/iraqoillawactions/">Washington</a> 
[<a href="http://blip.tv/file/687674/">video</a>]</p>

<p>Report's from the West Midlands [<a href="">1<a>, <a href="">2</a>] | 
Pics [<a href="">1</a>, <a href="">2</a>, <a href="">3</a>] | <a 
href="">Audio</a> from the London tour of the Corporate Oil Profiteers

<p><strong><a href="http://www.handsoffiraqioil.org/">Hands Off Iraqi 
Oil</a> | <a href="http://www.basraoilunion.org/">Iraqi Federation of 
Oil Unions</a> | <a href="http://www.iraqoillaw.com/">Stop the Iraqi Oil 
Law</a> | <a 
href="http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/oil-theft-2502081.html">The Stirrer 
coverage</a> | <a href="/en/2007/03/365843.html">2007 IMC article</a> | 
<a href="/en/2008/02/392264.html>And now for the plunder</a> |</strong></p>

Photo of Shell logo subverted to 'hell'

One year on, despite five US administration- and IMF- imposed 
deadlines, the law is still being contested at every level of Iraqi 
society. However, a 18th February <a 
href="http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/26507">deadline</a> 
for international oil companies to register to compete for tenders to 
help develop Iraq's oil represents a first official foot in the door.

The <a href="/en/2007/05/370387.html">Iraqi Oil Workers Union</a> 
has been on the front line of resisting this oil law. They have rallied 
in the streets, created physical blockades to prevent foreign oil 
companies from trespassing onto their fields, and they have continued to 
organise despite threats on their jobs, their lives, and the lives of 
their family. Oil experts, lawyers, academics, trade unionists, and 
students are rejecting the occupation-imposed oil law and the economic 
occupation it serves. International solidarity is desperately needed to 
support their struggle. Iraq has the last remaining easy-to-access oil 
resources on the planet, it is not due to reach peak production until <a 
href="http://www.lastoilshock.com/map.html">2022</a> [<a 
href="http://www.lastoilshock.com/world.swf?data_file=data.xml">full 
screen map</a>].

In <a href="/en/regions/birmingham/2008/02/392106.html">Coventry</a> 
protesters dropped a series of banners on bridges over the city's 
arterial roads. This was done in solidarity with other protests 
occurring in the UK and to highlight the plight of the Iraqi people and 
the negative consequences of the current proposed oil law in Iraq. The 
Banners read, 'stop BP stealing Iraq's oil' and 'welfare not warfare'.

In Birmingham, a Shell petrol station forecourt was <a 
href="/en/2008/02/392226.html">shut down</a> for two hours. The entrance 
and exits were blockaded with banners which read: 'Stop shafting Iraqi 
workers for the spOILs of war' and 'Shell is closed for ethical 
repairs'. Oil drums stenciled with Iraqi Oil also blocked the entrances. 
A banner was also dropped from the forecourt roof which read: 'Hands Off 
Iraqi Oil - Stop the Oil Theft Law' and the 'S' on the Shell logo was 
obscured so it read 'hell'. Local people including children 
spontaneously joined the action by holding banners and distributing 
hundreds of leaflets. There was a positive reaction from passers-by and 
motorists including a bus driver who distributed leaflets to his 
passengers. The protest included a theme of corporate re-branding as 
suited “market researchers” stopped people with a questionnaire about 
attitudes to the profiteering of oil companies. After shutting the 
forecourt for two hours, protesters and local people left on their own 
terms. There were no arrests.