These guys plan on hanging around for as long as possible.
Activists in Oregon have taken their protest to new heights in an effort to block key equipment Shell Oil needs to drill in the Arctic. The equipment is in Portland for repairs and
activists are trying to prevent it from leaving:
Trying to delay Shell’s Arctic ice-breaking ship in Portland, several protesters are dangling in mid-air from the St. Johns Bridge.
The protesters rappelled from the bridge at about 2:30 a.m. as a group of about 50 kayakers looked on, said Michael Foster, a kayer from Seattle and veteran of earlier protests against Shell that took place in Washington state. Foster said the protesters are now suspended in hammocks and bivouacs, using the same gear as would be used for rock climbing.
The activists say they have enough supplies to stay suspended under the bridge for days.
Compared to the earlier protests in Seattle, “tactically this is way beyond,” Foster said. “We have had a lot of time to think about this after what we learned in Seattle and Everett.”
He believes the protesters are hanging low enough and close enough that the icebreaker will not be able to pass.
Photos and video of the #ShellNo protest below: