EMAIL CIRCULATED BY PLATFORM LONDON.ORG DEMANDS AN END TO SHELL’S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:24:21 +0100
Subject: Demand an end to Shell’s human rights abuses
From: [email protected]
To:
Dear friends,
Over the past 48 hours, Shell’s active role in human rights abuses in Nigeria has been exposed in a new Platform briefing: Dirty Work: Shell’s Security Spending in Nigeria. The briefing analyses financial data from Shell’s security department, leaked to Platform by a concerned ex-Shell manager.
The leaked data covers three bloody years of conflict in the Delta between 2007 and 2009. It reveals Shell’s deep financial links to human rights abusers in the Niger Delta, including soldiers, militants and other armed groups who perpetrated human rights abuses during this period. Shell’s data leak shows that people within Shell feel deeply uncomfortable about the devastating social impact of its operations.
So far, we’ve had an overwhelming response. We made frontpage news in the Guardian, as well as reports by Reuters and AFP (see round up below). We gave several live TV interviews on Al-Jazeera (watch both here). The story has caught Twitter by storm and has been constantly tweeted about since Sunday night.
But we can do much more.
Our friends at the US online action site for corporate accountability, Sum Of Us, have launched an e-action demanding that Shell stop funding armed conflict and human rights abuses in Nigeria. Please add your name to their action. Together, we can hold Shell to account for its abuses.
This is a historic moment to demand that Shell stops pouring money into the hands of human rights abusers. The US Securities and Exchange Commission is currently whether or not to require big oil, gas and mining companies to disclose the payments they make on a country and project level. Shell has enormous payments to hide in Nigeria, and is lobbying hard to defeat these legal changes.
Let’s demand an end to what writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa called the “slick alliance” between oil companies and the repressive regime in Nigeria.
As soldiers from Nigeria’s Joint Task Force (JTF) continue to deny human rights and block environmental justice, we stand firm in our opposition to the militarisation of the Niger Delta. Furthermore, we are appalled at the decision of the UK government and its allies to provide escalating levels of military aid to Nigeria to ‘secure’ Shell’s oil fields.
Please share this story with anyone who may be interested.
With your support, we can push back against the oil giant’s harmful activities.
In hope,
Ben, Mel, Kevin, Mika, Emma and the Platform team
Platform | http://platformlondon.org/
This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website,
johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net,
are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Recent media coverage:
AFP, Shell paid Nigeria millions to guard oil facilities: group
Guardian, Shell spending millions of dollars on security in Nigeria, leaked data shows
Telegraph, Shell ‘paying tens of millions to Nigerian security forces
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Shell spends $383m on security in Niger Delta
Reuters, Nigeria took 40 pct of Shell security spend in late 2000s-NGO
EBOOK TITLE: “SIR HENRI DETERDING AND THE NAZI HISTORY OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
EBOOK TITLE: “JOHN DONOVAN, SHELL’S NIGHTMARE: MY EPIC FEUD WITH THE UNSCRUPULOUS OIL GIANT ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.
EBOOK TITLE: “TOXIC FACTS ABOUT SHELL REMOVED FROM WIKIPEDIA: HOW SHELL BECAME THE MOST HATED BRAND IN THE WORLD” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.
