Activists disrupted the general assembly of the petroleum group on Tuesday after having asked for accounts from the banks who support its petrogazière expansion.
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The Pleyel room sounded hollow. Inside, many empty ranks. Because, on the outside, around 250 activists of environmental defense associations prevented the quasi-integrality of the shareholders of the Totalnergies (ex-Total) group from entering the concert hall of 8 e Paris arrondissement, where the Pétrogazière company had summoned its general meeting, Wednesday May 25 in the morning – the first to be in face -to -face for two years due to the COVVI -19.
The civil disobedience operation, at the initiative of various non -governmental organizations – including Greenpeace – aimed to push the major to put an end to its expansion in fossil fuels and to cease all its activities in Russia. “Totalnergies invests in many climatic projects, finances the worst regimes and makes record profits, it’s so cynical,” denounces environmental activist Camille Etienne, present during the blocking. Despite this “danger to climate, peace and human rights”, Emmanuel Macron and the government “continue to support the company,” said Elodie Nace, spokesperson for Alternatiba and Anv-Cop21 , also involved in this action.
In the viewfinder of activists, in particular the immense eacop oil pipeline, which must be built between Uganda and Tanzania, and would have important consequences for the environment and local populations. More broadly, the Major “develops dozens of projects and is involved in twenty-four carbon bombs”, according to the expression used by Lucie Pinson, director of the NGO Reclaim Finance, to designate installations that will issue more than a billion Tons of co 2 over the duration of their operation. And this, while the International Energy Agency called for no longer investing in new oil or gas infrastructure, to reach carbon neutrality in 2050 and respect the Paris Agreement.
Activists unveiled by shareholders
Patrick Pouyanné regretted these disturbances which, according to the president and chief executive officer of the group, “will not have enabled dialogue and exchange”. videos have circulated on social networks show Shareholders invect the activists, with “Connasse” or “Crève and piss off”.
In recent days, other activists have arrested, at general assemblies, the managers of Crédit Agricole, Amundi, BNP Paribas, Axa or Société Générale, in order to confront them with their support to the Major and its petrogazière expansion. “The climate movement is structured to identify the real responsible for climate chaos”, judge Lucie Pinson.
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