On 15 July 2024, Extinction Rebellion groups from Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole (XR BCP), Wimborne and Purbeck, took their continuing campaign against Poole Harbour oil company, Perenco, to their offices and facility in Furzebrook. The campaign was sparked by Perenco’s spill of 200 barrels (approximately 31,600 litres) of reservoir fluid, consisting of 15 per cent crude oil and 85 per cent production fluid, from their Wytch Farm site into Poole Harbour.
The date for the latest escalation was chosen as it marks the second annual EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis. The day serves to commemorate victims in Europe, as well as worldwide, and to raise awareness of concrete steps that individuals can take to help prevent disasters and to be better prepared for, and able to respond to, climate disasters.
The morning’s protest was Extinction Rebellion’s first in Furzebrook, where the French oil giant has a technical office. The protest began at 8:30am and was designed to greet Perenco staff as they arrived for work. Protestors were joined by drummers from XR BCP Rhythms, who provided the musical backdrop as rebels displayed banners and flags. Chants ringing out around the village included “Perenco Out!” and “Perenco – Stop the Harm!”
I am from Bournemouth, and if Perenco thinks we are going to forget about the heartbreaking oil spill in Poole Harbour in March 2023, they are mistaken! We had a small victory with our last action; Perenco finally released a report about what caused the spill and promised remedial action to prevent a future spill. In an unprecedented move, they also invited the BBC into their Wytch Farm facility.
We can’t trust Perenco with our beautiful harbour and so our campaign continues.
Liz Brereton, also from XR BCP and a counsellor from Bournemouth, explained the choice of date for the latest protest.
“We’ve chosen the date of our latest Perenco action as it is the second annual EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis. This seems appropriate because of the enormous environmental damage and humanitarian cost of Perenco’s actions in the global south.”
XR Wimborne’s Joanna Bury, an environmental activist and author from Wimborne Minster, added
“Wytch Farm is a doddering, old oilfield and fossil fuels are yesterday’s energy. Perenco needs to shut Wytch Farm before it does any more damage.”
Extinction Rebellion’s objectives for this protest, under the banner: PERENCO – STOP THE HARM were:
- to maintain the pressure they have placed on Perenco since the Poole Harbour oil spill to stop oil extraction now! There have been five previous actions in Dorset and one at their London offices in Hanover Square; and
- to shine a light on Perenco’s operations in Poole Harbour, whilst also highlighting the harm they do to the environment and indigenous communities in the global south.
This was the seventh protest XR BCP have organised regarding this pollution incident. Their first protest and information sharing event was on the 27 March 2023 at Poole Quay. This was followed by a mass demonstration on 1 May, at the local offices and operating facility of Perenco’s Wytch Farm Oil Field Works. On Sunday 11 June, they held another information raising event at Poole Quay. At the beginning of September they coordinated with XR Oxford and London to take the battle to Perenco’s headquarters in London. To mark the passing of a calendar year they held a rally at Poole Quay on 6 January 2024 informing residents what had, and from their perspective what had not, been done to prevent another spill. Most recently, to mark the one-year anniversary of the Poole Harbour oil spill, XR BCP was joined by other local green groups to block the entrance to the Wytch Farm oil facility.
In terms of shining a light on Perenco’s operations in the global south, XR BCP pointed to a report in AP News in an article last year. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of 14 countries in which Perenco drills for oil. They began drilling in Moanda territory in the DRC in 2000. Residents say “pollution has worsened, with spills and leaks degrading the soil and flaring – the intentional burning of natural gas near drilling sites – fouling the air they breathe”. Perenco said it “abides by international standards in its extraction methods, that they don’t pose any health risks and any pollution has been minor.”
Ralph Doe, a 72 year old retired bookseller, also from XR BCP, explained that he is focusing on what Perenco might do next:
“Perenco’s new wheeze is Carbon Capture and Storage, or CCS. This trick will allow big tech companies to honour their net zero pledges by 2030, in spite of rapidly rising emissions in the sector, and the oil majors to continue to pump oil while virtue-signalling. If you can pump oil out of the ground and get paid for pumping the CO2 back in, well … it’s drinks all round!” he said.
