Six environmental activists began scaling the tallest building in London on Thursday morning in a symbolic protest against the oil company Shell and its practice of arctic drilling.
The activists, who Greenpeace identified as Sabine, Sandra, Victo, Ali, Wiola and Liesbeth, picked the building — named The Shard — because it is “modelled on a shard of ice” and “sits slap bang in the middle of Shell’s three London headquarters.” They started their “ice climb” at 4:00 am London time, and plan to “unveil a massive art installation at the top.”
At time of publishing, the climbers had reached 230 meters on their 72-story journey. You can watch a live feed of the climb here.
Shell is an obvious target for an anti-arctic drilling action. The company has been dedicated to arctic drilling, despite several failed attempts over the last year, including when an oil rig ran aground thanks to the company’s tax avoidance scheme.
Update:
Around 7:10 pm UK time, the climbers reached the top of the Shard. They were promptly taken into police custody:
