Thousands have contributed as the charity fights the attempt to “drain its resources”
Greenpeace UK has revealed that thousands of members of the public have donated over £1 million so far in response to the multimillion pound lawsuit brought by Shell.
The environmental charity said the legal case was intended to intimidate the group into silence and drain its resources, but has instead had the opposite effect.
The milestone was reached just before Shell announced last week £4.9billion ($6.3bn) in profits for the second quarter of this year, following its record £22.3bn profits last year.
Greenpeace UK launched the ‘Stop Shell Appeal’ last November after Shell sued the environmental NGO over a peaceful climate protest earlier in the year.
It is one of the biggest legal threats any Greenpeace organisation has faced in its 53-year history.
Proceeds are being used to fight the legal case and to campaign for Shell and other oil majors to ‘stop drilling and start paying’ for the climate damage they have caused.
Campaigners at the group said they’ve seen an unprecedented response with almost 25,000 donations received in just nine months and support from celebrities including Simon Pegg, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Donations now exceed the amount the oil giant is seeking in damages ($1m, or £789,000), although legal costs are likely to run into millions.
Philip Evans, campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “Shell's attempt to intimidate us is only making us stronger. Ordinary people have had enough of watching Shell make billions in profit from a commodity that’s driving energy bills up and fueling climate disasters around the world. Shell might have deep pockets, but the determination of our supporters runs deeper.
“This fight is only just beginning. Those in power are doing nothing to hold the fossil fuel giants to account. The new Labour government should place bold new polluter taxes on oil companies to support the communities hit hardest by the climate crisis at home and abroad.”
While the more conventional approach to lawsuits has been to lie low and leave the lawyers to it, Greenpeace has waged an irreverent campaign against the oil giant using social media spoof videos and unusual celebrity partnerships.
Shell’s lawsuit has been widely acknowledged to be a strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPP), a type of abusive lawsuit commonly brought by wealthy corporations to silence criticism.
The UK Anti-SLAPP coalition, a group of leading media organisations, lawyers and rights groups has issued a statement in support of Greenpeace.
Shell launched the lawsuit in late 2023 in response to a peaceful protest by Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International earlier that year, in which activists peacefully occupied a moving oil platform to protest against the climate change loss and damage caused by Shell.
Activists were calling on the company to stop drilling for new oil and gas, and start paying for climate damage that the oil and gas industry is fuelling around the world.
Shell acknowledges no damage was caused to its equipment, but is nonetheless demanding extensive damages.
A spokesperson for Shell said: “This is not, and never has been, about preventing Greenpeace’s freedom of expression. The right to protest is fundamental and Shell respects this absolutely, but it must be done safely and legally. This case is about preventing the kind of dangerous and unlawful protest at sea that puts lives in danger, including the protestors themselves.
“At the time the injunctions were granted, the judge said protestors were “putting their lives and, indirectly, the lives of the crew at risk”. He was also clear that Greenpeace could still protest from a safe distance and that their human rights were not infringed.”
