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Ape protest at Unilever factory | Ape protest at Unilever factory |
(20 minutes later) | |
About 50 Greenpeace campaigners are staging a protest at Unilever sites in Merseyside and London. | About 50 Greenpeace campaigners are staging a protest at Unilever sites in Merseyside and London. |
The protesters, some dressed as apes, went into the plant at Port Sunlight, Wirral, and Unilever House on Victoria Embankment to highlight palm oil usage. | The protesters, some dressed as apes, went into the plant at Port Sunlight, Wirral, and Unilever House on Victoria Embankment to highlight palm oil usage. |
Greenpeace claims the use of palm oil by companies such as Unilever is damaging rainforests in Indonesia. | Greenpeace claims the use of palm oil by companies such as Unilever is damaging rainforests in Indonesia. |
However, Unilever says that it is leading the search to find solutions to achieving sustainable palm oil. | |
A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said the force was aware of the demonstration, which she described as "peaceful" and said officers were monitoring the protesters. | |
A Greenpeace spokesman said the group arrived in two vans at the front and back entrance of the Wirral site at about 0640 BST and simply walked in. | A Greenpeace spokesman said the group arrived in two vans at the front and back entrance of the Wirral site at about 0640 BST and simply walked in. |
Some of the protesters were dressed as orang-utans and may have caused a distraction to security, the spokesman said. | Some of the protesters were dressed as orang-utans and may have caused a distraction to security, the spokesman said. |
We're not against use of palm oil per se, but what we are against is destruction of rainforests to support the palm oil plantations Greenpeace spokesman | We're not against use of palm oil per se, but what we are against is destruction of rainforests to support the palm oil plantations Greenpeace spokesman |
Later at 0735 BST, campaigners dressed as orang-utans scaled ladders on to a balcony at the headquarters in London. | Later at 0735 BST, campaigners dressed as orang-utans scaled ladders on to a balcony at the headquarters in London. |
The demonstrators are occupying the sites in protest at Unilever's use of palm oil in some of its products, such as Persil, the Greenpeace spokesman added. | |
He said the group would leave "if Unilever agrees to stop buying palm oil from companies who are destroying rainforests". | |
"We're not against use of palm oil per se, but what we are against is destruction of rainforests to support the palm oil plantations," he added. | "We're not against use of palm oil per se, but what we are against is destruction of rainforests to support the palm oil plantations," he added. |
Greenpeace is urging Unilever to use its influence to stop palm oil suppliers clearing areas of rainforest - the natural habitat of orang-utans in Indonesia - to support the crop. | Greenpeace is urging Unilever to use its influence to stop palm oil suppliers clearing areas of rainforest - the natural habitat of orang-utans in Indonesia - to support the crop. |
Palm oil is an ingredient in foods and soaps and a bio-fuel added to diesel for cars. | Palm oil is an ingredient in foods and soaps and a bio-fuel added to diesel for cars. |
The BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin said it was a controversial oil because it is often grown on rainforest land in South-East Asia. | The BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin said it was a controversial oil because it is often grown on rainforest land in South-East Asia. |