Deepwater Horizon Anniversary

BP's obduracy underscores the validity of the International ethecon Black Planet Award 2010

12 months after the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico BP has obviously still not changed its way of thinking. The accountable executives, board chairman C. H. Svanberg and CEO Dudley want to get back to business as usual as soon as possible. They do their best to give the impression that the disaster has been sufficiently mastered.

With their scandalous conduct, BP unintentionally underscores the validity of the International ethecon Black Planet Award, which was bestowed on the accountable managers and the major shareholders in name in November 2010 and presented physically at the shareholders meeting on April 14, 2011. Neither Svanberg, Dudley nor any other official representative of the company was gracious enough to personally accept the censure prize during the meeting in the ExCeL-Center in London's Docklands. Instead, they let the trophy be snatched up by security forces in an unguarded moment after the presentation speech by ethecon representatives Lydia Will and Anabel Schnura.

Despite the fact that he is a registered shareholder, ethecon's chairperson was refused entry even before the meeting began, as was a delegation of US Fisherman from the Gulf of Mexico. Diane Wilson, US-Activist and ethecon Blue Planet Award winner in 2006, was even arrested.

During the explosion of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010 eleven workers were killed. The biggest maritime oil disaster in the history of mankind ran its course. Millions of liters of oil flowed unhampered into the Gulf of Mexico. An emergency plan was not existent. Instead, highly toxic dispersants were pumped into the environment in order to eliminate pictures of the oil spill from newscasts as soon as possible.

On occasion of the anniversary of the disaster, protests are taking place in London, the USA and elsewhere, calling BP to assume its responsibility for all damage caused in the USA. ethecon - Foundation Ethics & Economics stands on the side of the victims and in solidarty with the worldwide protest movement. Axel Köhler-Schnura, non-salaried chairperson of the ethecon Foundation: "It is a huge scandal, that one year after the disaster, BP does not meets its obligations in full for the settlement and the rectification of the damage occurred in the Gulf of Mexico; that the people responsible for this gigantic environmental destruction, for the damage to the health of Gulf residents and for the destruction of the livelihood of Gulf fishermen not be taken to court. Instead, the company tries to suppress all criticism, refuses registered shareholders admission to its shareholders meeting and announces in the name of company profits new, environmentally dangerous projects."

ethecon shows in an extensive Dossier hows BP systematically puts profits before the safety of its employees, before the health of people living near BP plants and before the protection of the environment. At its shareholders meeting, the company proved that it has learned nothing from its mistakes. ethecon therefore asks all of you to write protest emails by means of the foundation's website. There you can also download the campaign leaflet "Stop BP!".

"ethecon - Foundation Ethics & Economics" has become well-known primarily through the two awards which the foundation bestows since 2006. The International positive prize, the "Blue Planet Award" honors outstanding efforts to maintain and save the "Blue Planet". Its negative counterpart, the "Black Planet Award", exposes and condemns actions responsible for the ruin and destruction of the "Blue Planet". With its positive prize ethecon honored in past years Diane Wilson/USA (2006), Vandana Shiva/India(2007), José Abreu and Hugo Chávez/Venezuela (2008), Uri Avnery/Israel (2009) as well as Elias Bierdel/Austria (2010). The censure award went to the owners, shareholders and executive management of the following companies: Monsanto/USA (2006), Nestlé/Switzerland(2007), Blackwater (Xe)/USA (2008), Formosa Plastics Group/Taiwan (2009) and BP/Great Britain (2010).

In contrast to many corporate, family, church, political and state foundations, ethecon is one of the few foundations empowered by ordinary citizens. There are currently 19 endowment contributors. Following the credo "for a world without exploitation and oppression", it see its mission in its responsibility toward coming generations. The young foundation is financed through endowment contributions, donations and sustaining memberships.

ethecon - Foundation Ethics & Economics
Wilhelmshavener Str. 60
D-10551 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 - (0)30 - 22 32 51 45
Email: info@ethecon.org
Internet: www.ethecon.org

Press contact:
Bettina Schneider
Phone: +49 - (0)211 - 22 95 09 21
Email: bs@ethecon.org

This release was published on openPR.