Activists Break Into Maersk Tankers Office in Copenhagen

Over 50 activists from the Green Youth Movement (Den Grønne Ungdomsbevægelse) have broken into the Copenhagen office of Maersk Tankers.

The activists claim that the action is part of a larger series of actions over the next 10 days that will focus on the alleged role of Maersk in the climate crisis and Israel’s war crimes. They stated that the actions will take place all over Europe.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said that the protesters are demanding that Maersk take “just and necessary action, whether it concerns the climate collapse or the genocide in Palestine.”

The Green Youth Movement also brought with them cleaning products that are used to wash windows, walls, and floors, symbolizing what the activists said was Maersk’s greenwashing.

“Maersk emits more CO2 than all of Denmark combined, and the company still ships oil and gas around the world despite green promises. We demand that Maersk stop their shipments of weapons to Israel, which are used directly in the genocide of the Palestinians, but we also demand that they stop all shipments of oil and gas,” said Green Youth Movement activist Freya Skriver, present at the protest.

The Copenhagen Police are also present at the scene. The police said via social media that they were in dialogue with the protesters who are inside the building. They have been asked to leave the location voluntarily in agreement with the owner.

At the same time, a larger group has gathered outside another Maersk subsidiary, Maersk Cargo, and is blocking the entrance.

This is the second protest in just a few months, as 800 people blocked the headquarters of Maersk in late February. This protest also revolved around demands for Maersk to stop transporting military equipment and weapon parts to Israel.

During the February protest, it was claimed that Maersk made 2,100 shipments of weapons and weapon parts to Israel in just the past year. Thunberg, along with 19 other protesters, was arrested as a result.