Businesses in Scotland have been warned that Extinction Rebellion (ER) is planning to target companies that fund and profit from the fossil fuel industry on 14 January.
Police Scotland said the environmental movement had made it aware that it was planning “some form of protest activity” in Edinburgh, but that it had not provided specific locations, times or the level of activity.
ER said the planned location would be outdoors, in a public place and targeted at private business but it was not intended to cause any public disruption.
In a social media post, ER said: “We're planning to start the year by taking our voices and bodies to those funding and profiting from the fossil fuel industry. After a year of rebellion: it’s time to level up.
“We are cooking up a number of actions across Scotland and an action is planned in Edinburgh for the 14th January.”
Police Scotland has advised companies to check and, if required, refresh their security protocols and operating procedures.
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This could include contingency arrangements for site access, reviewing access control and accreditation of personnel, considering timing deliveries before or after event activity where possible and minimising the number of entry points to business premises.
On 6 January, members of XR Scotland occupied a drilling rig in Dundee in a bid to prevent it heading out to the North Sea.
However, the campaigners aborted the mission due to deteriorating weather conditions, before four men and three women were arrested.
The representative body for the UK offshore oil and gas industry, OGUK, condemned ER’s actions: “This is a dangerous and short-sighted stunt which does absolutely nothing to help provide the solutions which will be required to meaningfully deliver net zero emissions by 2045 in Scotland,” said chief executive Deirdre Michie.
“Worse than this, we know that the premature shutdown of the North Sea would only increase reliance on oil and gas imported from across the world where we have no control over emissions and with none of the substantial benefits our indigenous industry brings with its thousands of skilled jobs, the funding of public services and energy security.”
