Protect The Human

It’s been quite a week. We’ve been amazed by you – our supporters, dismayed by the Financial Times and of course outraged by Shell.

Thanks to your generosity and commitment to the people of the Niger Delta, we were able to realise our ambition of booking a full page ad in the Financial Times on the day of Shell’s AGM.

Then, at 4:58pm the night before, the FT decided to pull the plug on the ad. It seemed like devastating news, but with so much at stake we couldn’t despair. We already had the Evening Standard on board and at the last minute we were able to place the ad in the Metro – a paper we knew shareholders would pick up on the way to the meeting.

And if they didn’t see the papers, they couldn’t have missed the van outside the AGM. Our valiant van driver, Steve, drove the ad van around London’s streets throughout the day – and it certainly made an impact. We saw plenty of people stop in their tracks to read it and have a little think. Here’s the van on Bishopsgate early on Tuesday morning:

Hundreds more of you helped by sharing the ad the FT wouldn’t publish on Facebook, Twitter and on your blogs.

This was your campaign – you made it all possible, and we completely understand if those of you who donated are feeling disappointed about the FT’s refusal to print the ad. It was a controversial decision – and one that led to more publicity and more people talking about Shell’s operations in the Niger Delta than we could ever have planned or imagined. So you certainly gave Shell’s shareholders something to think about.

We have really appreciated all your feedback too. We’ll definitely take it on board for future actions. And we will not give up until Shell cleans up its act and the people of the Niger Delta have their rights respected.
NB. You can download the advert here

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On Tuesday 18 May, shareholders meet for oil giant Royal Dutch Shell’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), relayed live to London’s Barbican Centre. While they toast £9.8 billion profits, there will be less talk of how Shell’s activities are making life hell for people in the Niger Delta.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our hugely successful fundraising campaign we’ve been able to place adverts telling the shameful truth about Shell in Tuesday’s Metro and Evening Standard, and on a van driving round the streets of London throughout the day. Shareholders will be confronted by the reality of what they’ve invested in on their way to the AGM, outside the event and on their way home too.

LATEST NEWS: How the Financial Times pulled our ad at 4.58pm yesterday evening

Over the past week or so, this initiative has raised awareness and generated lively debate about Shell’s activities. Here are a couple of ways you can help keep that momentum going:

1. Ensure our AGM ad campaign makes its mark

Help ensure the flipside of Shell’s successes are talked about on the day of their AGM. Look out for our advert and take a picture of yourself perusing it in the Metro or Evening Standard. Share it on Twitter with the tag #shellagm, or send it directly to @shelldotcom. You can also email your photos to amnesty.amnesty@gmail.com or text it to +44 7733 134670 and we’ll put it in our gallery.

If you live or work in central London, keep an eye for our ad van which will be on the streets all day. Tweet or send us a picture if it passes your house, office or uni.

2. Spread the word about Shell’s embarrassing gas problem

We also want as many people as possible to see this video about the impact Shell’s illegal practice of gas flaring is having on communities in the Niger Delta. We were really interested to hear your thoughts on our ‘Welcome to Shell’ film so please let us know what you think – and spread the word!

Gas flaring happens when oil is pumped out of the ground, producing gas. The gas is separated out and, in Nigeria, is usually burnt as waste. This practice, combined with numerous oil spills, has left communities in the Niger Delta with little option but to drink polluted water, eat contaminated fish, farm on spoiled land and breathe in air that smells of oil and gas. It also makes a mockery of Shell’s much-flaunted “business principles”.

For more information on why we’re targeting Shell with this campaign, download a copy of our report: Petroleum, Pollution and Poverty in the Niger Delta.

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