Actions are part of a global Amnesty International campaign to spread knowledge about human rights violations in Nigeria Shell is responsible for.

Here is how Tanja Clifford and Julie Strand Offerdal of Amnesty Region West describe their impressions (find Norwegian version here):

Everything is ready for action in the office. We have bought jackets and jerseys and cut Amnesty logo for fitting on the suits.

Around13:00 activists begin to show up at the office, so we go out with taxi and private car. Moods are good and the reactions from many people who see the sticker and four people in the car’ dressed’ with white suits.

We talk to the employees of the Nesttun Shell station outside Bergen. Sure, they were well informed about the action, we were welcomed and there was nothing wrong that we could stand next to the station.

We spread our over the gas station, hung up banners,”sinks” around the pumps, and collect signatures. BT’s video journalist arrives. Some cars honking for us. We assume that there is support.

Trainee Ann-Elisabeth is with the Shell-action on her own birthday. “The best way I can spend my birthday is to do something meaningful,” she says.

An SMS-activist, Yngvild, is not involved in the active group, but showed up because she read about the action in the Amnesty magazine. We recruit from all directions.

After an hour we count on about 100 signatures.

There are more actions to come. The next one in Bergen is on 3 November. Meet up at Shell Natland at 14.

Pollution and poverty
(Norwegian version here)
In June Amnesty launched a report Petroleum, Pollution and Poverty in the Niger Delta. It shows how the oil industry, with Shell in the lead, serve the rich in Nigeria at the expense of the poor population in the Niger Delta.

Oil extraction in the Niger Delta has been going on since the 60s. 50 years of oil spills and pollution has destroyed the livelihoods of the inhabitants of the delta. The fish die, arable land is destroyed and drinking water contaminated.

– While Shell earns billions of dollars will be the majority of local people pushed out into ever deeper poverty, “said John Peder Egenæs, Secretary General of Amnesty International Norway.

Double morality
– Had this oil spill happened in the West or along the Norwegian coast, it would have been called the scandal a long time ago. But when it comes to the ongoing disaster in Nigeria, the world is silent, “said Egenæs.

The aim of the actions is to collect thousands of signatures to show Shell that the world knows what they are doing and thus affect the management to take responsibility.

– Shell’s pollution leads to violations of human rights, states Egenæs, encouraging as many people as possible to join the actions.