Shell lawsuit against Greenpeace: A blatant attempt to stifle environmental activism
CASE Coalition has classified Shell’s lawsuit against Greenpeace UK as a SLAPP. The giant oil company demands that Greenpeace halt all peaceful protests at its infrastructure worldwide, threatening around a million in damages, with legal costs that could spiral into millions more. We call on Shell to withdraw the claim and stop pressuring civil society actors who advocate for protecting the planet and amplifying industrial damage to the environment.
This claim represents one of the most significant legal challenges in Greenpeace’s history. Shell’s lawsuit follows a peaceful protest by Greenpeace International last year, where activists occupied a moving oil platform to highlight the climate damage caused by Shell’s operations. Activists called on the oil giant to stop drilling for oil and gas and take responsibility for the environmental damage its operations have caused, which Greenpeace argues should translate into a financial contribution to the international climate loss and damage fund.
Shell initially claimed over $8 million in damages but offered to settle for $1.4 million and a legal agreement that Greenpeace will never protest on its infrastructure, in port or at sea, worldwide. Greenpeace UK and International responded by offering to accept the protest ban, but only if Shell commits to reducing its emissions by 45% by 2030, as ordered by a Netherlands court. Negotiations have ended, legal costs are rising since November 2023, and the first hearing in the case is expected to place on Friday 24 June 2024 at London’s Admiralty Court. Greenpeace UK is asking for emergency donations to help fight this abusive claim.