More details.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,12374,1416295,00.html
Kyoto protests disrupt oil trading
Violent clashes at London energy exchange after Greenpeace activists use direct action to mark global warming treaty
John Vidal and Terry Macalister
Thursday February 17, 2005
The Guardian
Oil trading was interrupted for more than an hour yesterday in the world's second largest energy market when 35 Greenpeace activists invaded the International Petroleum Exchange in London on the day the Kyoto global warming treaty came into effect.
The exchange, which trades oil worth up to $1,000bn a year and sets the price for as much as 60% of the world's crude supply, was thrown into chaos just before 2pm as traders and security guards clashed with the activists coming through the only door on to the trading floor in the basement of the building.
Carrying foghorns, alarms and whistles, the protesters tried to prevent the trading.
As three Greenpeace climbers hung a banner from the roof declaring "Climate change kills. Stop pushing oil", more than a dozen people were hurt when angry traders pulled a large metal bookcase on top of protesters and guards waded in to punch and kick people trapped in corridors.
Activists expressed shock at the reaction. "They were in a frenzy. They just went wild. They were trying so hard to hit us they were falling over each other," said Peter Mulhall, a commercial manager from Liverpool protesting at the amount of oil being traded.
Stephen Tindale, head of Greenpeace UK, who led the activists into the building, said: "We believe we are stopping trading in oil on the global market. They just laid into us. We were non-violent and we made it clear that's what we were there for. But there were quite a few blows raining down on our heads. There was not much discussion. We decided to retreat for everyone's safety."
Many of the protesters were attacked again as they were forced out of the building. One man was pulled by his hair down a corridor and kicked, another was kicked and punched in the head by a guard at the entrance. "One person was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to hospital," a London ambulance service spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for the IPE said the trading floor reopened at 3.10pm. "The floor was invaded by a small group of protesters," she said. "Open-cry trading was suspended but electronic trading carried on as normal throughout."
One oil trader said his colleagues were angry about floor trading being delayed for more than an hour. "We were disappointed with security for allowing this commotion just at a time when the [crude] market was pushing higher on the back of reports that a missile had been fired at Iran. I kept on trading electronically but I could see the [Greenpeace] guys coming on to the viewing gallery and then they were pushed back."
Many of the floor traders are self-employed and stand to lose earnings from the disruption but the IPE was unwilling to comment on what volume of trade had been affected.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said 10 people were arrested for public order offences. A further 20 were still inside the building at 5.30pm and were being dealt with by the police. All those arrested are believed to have been demonstrators.
"We believe we are stopping trading in oil on the global market.
In other words we were attempting to keep these guys (and/or gals) from earning a living
They just laid into us.
When you interfere with someones ability to make a living that is what happens.
We were non-violent and we made it clear that's what we were there for.
Hon you don't get the point do you? If these guys don't work they don't eat. Your actions were hostile and stuck at their survival. Did you expect them to just take it?
But there were quite a few blows raining down on our heads.There was not much discussion.
Evidently you did. Dumber then a sack of hammers.
Activists expressed shock at the reaction. "They were in a frenzy. They just went wild. They were trying so hard to hit us they were falling over each other,"
"All those arrested are believed to have been demonstrators."
Amen to that. You call down the thunder, expect to see a few lightning bolts.