Police & Polluters partner up!

Unless you have been living under a rock you will have seen or heard media coverage relating the recent events in Pungesti, Romania.

In an unprecedented attack on peaceful protesters the Romanian police and CHEVRON have overnight become the subject of international condemnation and outrage. 

CHEVRON have been searching for Shale Gas in the northeastern region for some time but decided to stall their search in October as a result of protests in the locality and the capital. The company has since been granted a permit to drill exploratory wells in Pungesti and has stated that it intends to "conduct these activities in a safe and environmentally responsible manner". 

In recent months, thousands of Romanian citizens have taken to the streets to protest against Fracking in Romania.

However at 6am on December 1st a vicious assault against protesters was launched by Romanian police supported by CHEVRON. 

A group of protesters had set up camp outside a field where the fossil fuel giant plans to drill for shale gas. Forty protesters were beaten severely, arrested and subsequently taken to police quarters in a nearby town for further investigation. As some protesters attempted to film or photograph the assault riot police quickly intervened, beating them and confiscating their cameras/phones. The site of the assault has since been blocked by CHEVRON equipment, leaving the media with no footage at all. In fact the road leading into and out of the community has been completely blocked leaving the residents utterly isolated.

No statement has been given by the riot police as of yet.

This assault is one which brings into question once more the absolute power of fossil fuel giants like CHEVRON. How can it be that this company has the ability to bring about an attack by riot police on innocent citizens who's only concern is for their land, their water and their health?

This event hits home for us here in Ireland who are fighting Fracking on our own soil, but it adds another important dimension to our fight. Not only are we against Fracking because it will damage our beautiful land and contaminate our clean water, but also because we refuse to allow fossil fuel giants like CHEVRON to control us or our lives.

If CHEVRON thought that this drastic move would deter us from fighting, they are sorely mistaken.