3 ay önce

Climate activists arrested as they break into chemicals plant in France

Extinction Rebellion activists, in video footage, break into site, labeling it 'murderers' in red paint, drawing attention to non-biodegradable PFAS discharge.

AFP

Extinction Rebellion and Youth for Climate activists deploying a giant banner depicting a skull and bones, bearing the message "Poison", atop a structure inside the Arkema chemical plant after they entered the site to protest against pollution caused by polyfluoroalkyl substances. / Photo: AFP

Several hundred protesters briefly broke into a plant owned by chemicals group Arkema near Lyon in southeastern France to protest against alleged pollution from the site and eight people were arrested, local authorities said.

"An action was carried out by radical activists against the Arkema company in Pierre Bénite in early afternoon ... Police quickly intervened to prevent damage and eight individuals have already been arrested," a government official for the Auvergne-Rhone region wrote on X on Saturday.

Video footage from climate movement Extinction Rebellion on X and from BFM TV showed activists clad in white breaking into the site, writing "murderers" in red paint on the walls and breaking doors and materials to draw attention to the discharge of PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that are not bio-degradable.

"Merci" à @prefetrhone de veiller aux intérêts de #arkema vis à vis de "dangereux" activistes climat 🙄

Autant d'effectif pour une action non violente 😅 pic.twitter.com/1vlaXnSykD
— Extinction Rebellion France 🐝🌺 (@xrFrance) March 2, 2024

In a statement condemning the action, Arkema said its teams were now inspecting the site to make sure it was safe as well as assessing damage.

In December 2022, the Pierre Benite site was targeted by similar action.

Arkema said it would again file a complaint.

It said it had been investing so the site could stop using fluorinated additives by the end of 2024 and had started using a filtration solution reducing its emissions by over 90 percent.