Climate protesters disrupt BP’s shareholder meeting in London | BP

Climate protesters have disrupted BP’s annual general meeting where the oil company was braced for a growing green revolt from shareholders over its decision to water down its climate commitments.

At least four protesters were forcibly removed from inside the shareholder meeting within 10 minutes of BP chair, Helge Lund, beginning his opening remarks. The campaigners repeatedly interrupted the address by calling for the company to take responsibility for its role in the climate crisis.

“You need to be taking action right now, today,” said one female protester. “It’s not enough. It’s just not good enough. People are dying because of your operations now. Step up and take responsibility. Stop your drilling. Stop your lies.”

The protesters were warned by BP company secretary, Ben Mathews, to wait until the question and answer segment of the meeting, or risk being removed by security. The protesters were carried out – one still remaining in a chair – to a smattering of applause from some BP shareholders.

“This is an emergency,” one woman shouted as she was removed.

Another protester, believed to be disguised as an investor by dressing in a smart suit and tie with neatly combed grey hair, was carried out on his back by four security guards.

In addition to the disruption within the meeting climate campaigners demonstrated against the company outside the meeting, which was held at the ExCeL centre in London.

The meeting was marked by a heavy security presence, including metal detectors and security searches, as the company prepared to face growing criticism of its plans to backtrack on its green pledges.

BP won cautious praise from climate campaigners in 2020 after setting out a “net zero carbon” plan that included a goal to cut the company’s oil and gas production by 40% compared with 2019 by the end of the decade. But the company reset the target to 25% by 2030 after reporting the highest profits of BP’s 114-year history thanks to soaring oil and gas prices linked to the Ukraine war.

At least four large UK pension funds – the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest), which represents about 11m individual workplace pensions, the Universities Superannuation Scheme and the council pensions fund Border to Coast – are expected to vote against the re-election of Lund in protest at the strategy change.

The funds are also expected to vote in favour of a resolution put forward by climate campaigners at Follow This, which calls for BP to align its emissions reduction plans with the Paris agreement.