Shell No! Kayaktivism in Seattle

This April 17, 2015 photo shows a group of kayakers letting out a yell after successfully pulling up a protest sign as they practice for an upcoming demonstration against Arctic oil drilling, in Elliott Bay in Seattle. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said Monday, May 4, 2015, the Port of Seattle can't host Royal Dutch Shell's offshore Arctic oil-drilling fleet unless it gets a new land-use permit. Shell has been hoping to base its fleet at the port's Terminal 5, near where protesters plan a mass kayak protest later this month. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
This April 17, 2015 photo shows a group of kayakers letting out a yell after successfully pulling up a protest sign as they practice for an upcoming demonstration against Arctic oil drilling, in Elliott Bay in Seattle. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said Monday, May 4, 2015, the Port of Seattle can’t host Royal Dutch Shell’s offshore Arctic oil-drilling fleet unless it gets a new land-use permit. Shell has been hoping to base its fleet at the port’s Terminal 5, near where protesters plan a mass kayak protest later this month. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Every day that we can stall them is a good day.
John Sellers, co-founder of The Ruckus Society

This is a cross post from Kate Aronoff at Waging Nonviolence.
————-
Seattle has become a hub of anti-extraction activism. Protests began on May 14, when Royal Dutch Shell — bucking city residents and officials — docked its Polar Pioneer off the Emerald City coast. The towering 400-by-355-foot oil rig is en route to the Arctic, where it is scheduled to begin drilling operations this summer. The largest demonstration yet happened May 16, as hundreds of “kayak-tivists” swarmed Seattle’s Terminal 5, where the Polar Pioneer is docked. Since then, protests against the rig have been ongoing, and show few signs of letting up.
Continue reading “Shell No! Kayaktivism in Seattle”