Shell has agreed to settle its controversial multimillion-dollar lawsuit towards Greenpeace after its campaigners boarded an oil rig final yr as a part of a peaceable protest.
The oil firm threatened to sue Greenpeace for $2.1m (£1.6m) in damages in one of many largest authorized threats towards the group after its campaigners occupied a shifting oil platform off the coast of the Canary Islands for 13 days to protest towards the injury to the local weather brought on by Shell.
As a part of the ultimate settlement, Greenpeace will settle for no legal responsibility and pay no cash to Shell. The group will as a substitute donate £300,000 to the Royal Nationwide Lifeboat Establishment.
Shell mentioned the corporate was happy that the dispute was settled and {that a} fee in lieu of the prices it incurred “can profit a charity engaged on security at sea”.
The spokesperson added: “For Shell, the correct to protest is prime and has by no means been at concern. As an alternative, this case was about an unlawful boarding by protesters which a excessive court docket choose described as ‘placing their lives and, not directly, the lives of the crew in danger’. He was additionally clear that Greenpeace might nonetheless protest from a protected distance and their human rights weren’t infringed.”
Greenpeace had described the “intimidation lawsuit” as a strategic lawsuit towards public participation (Slapp), which is a sort of lawsuit sometimes introduced by rich firms to silence critics.
The marketing campaign group additionally faces a authorized risk within the US from Power Switch, a US pipeline firm, over the Dakota Entry Pipeline protests in 2016, which Greenpeace claims represents “an existential risk” to its presence within the US. The inexperienced organisation can also be being sued by the Italian oil firm ENI.
As a part of its settlement with Shell, Greenpeace has signed a legally binding dedication to Shell UK and the excessive court docket that prohibits the group from finishing up comparable actions at or close to key oil and gasoline platforms within the North Sea for 5 to 10 years.
Greenpeace mentioned the 4 websites in query are largely declining fields the place the group had no plans to take direct motion, and that Greenpeace would proceed to marketing campaign towards Shell together with within the North Sea.
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The Greenpeace UK co-executive director, Areeba Hamid, mentioned: “This settlement reveals that individuals energy works. Hundreds of unusual folks throughout the nation backed our struggle towards Shell, and their help means we keep impartial and might hold holding massive oil to account. We’ve ensured not a penny of our supporters’ cash will go to Shell, and all funds raised will likely be used to proceed campaigning towards the fossil gas trade and different massive polluters.
“This authorized battle is perhaps over, however massive oil’s soiled methods aren’t going away. With Greenpeace dealing with additional authorized battles world wide, we received’t cease campaigning till the fossil gas trade stops drilling and begins paying for the injury it’s inflicting to folks and planet.”
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