Red card for Gazprom’s Arctic plans at football match

Four Greenpeace activists abseiled from the roof of a football stadium (pictured) in Switzerland earlier this week in protest against Gazprom’s plans to drill in the Arctic. The intervention during […]

Four Greenpeace activists abseiled from the roof of a football stadium (pictured) in Switzerland earlier this week in protest against Gazprom’s plans to drill in the Arctic.

The intervention during the match between FC Basel and Schalke at St. Jakob-Park stadium was meant to be a “symbolic” red penalty card for Gazprom – the Russian sponsor of the Champions League and the Bundesliga club Schalke.

The Greenpeace climbers urged the energy giant to abandon its “high-risk” oil production venture in the Arctic with hand held banners and the slogan ‘Gazprom Don’t Foul the Arctic’. They also demanded the release of 28 activists and two freelance journalists who have now been charged with piracy following a protest in the Russian waters last month.

Nadine Berthel from the Greenpeace Arctic campaign said: “Gazprom is putting the fragile Arctic environment at risk with its oil production plans. The risk of an oil disaster in the Arctic is particularly high, an adequate response on the other hand virtually impossible.”

The game was halted for around five minutes when the protesters wearing orange boiler suits and helmets descended slowly on ropes shortly after kick-off.

Thousands of people are to take part in an “emergency global day of solidarity” this weekend, with events planned in 45 countries across the world, according to Greenpeace.

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