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‘Devil-masked’ campaigners to protest Ineos sponsorship of cycling team during Stage 8 of Tour of Britain.

news release

On Saturday 14th September local group Frack Free Greater Manchester will combine with national and international campaigners to protest sponsorship of the UK based cycling team by Ineos a major UK fracking and chemical engineering company and Europe’s  biggest producer of virgin plastics. 

Protesters will wear devil masks with the counterfeit of the owner of Ineos, controversial billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, to highlight the “true face” of the Team Ineos sponsor.

This is part of a series of international protests against Ineos since their taking ownership of the former Team Sky. The first protests took place in May 2019 during the Tour of Yorkshire, followed by protests in Brussels and France during the Tour de France in July.(1)

Team Ineos will be taking part in Stage 8 of the Tour of Britain. Protesters will express their opposition during the race from the start in Altrincham to the finish in central Manchester.

The protest will be peaceful and respectful of cycling fans, indeed many of those taking part will themselves be cycling enthusiasts. However with their voices, banners and placards activists will demonstrate their opposition to this transparent attempt by Ineos to ‘greenwash’ it’s environment-damaging and climate-threatening industries. 

Delphine Lévi Alvarès the European Coordinator of the #breakfreefreefromplastic movement consisting of more than 1,600 organisations worldwide said, “The #breakfreefromplastic movement is committed to tackling plastic pollution at all levels. INEOS’s massive plastic product expansion plans in Antwerp demonstrate their role in the plastic pollution crisis which devastates our communities, health and environment.”

Allan Challenger from Frack Free GM stated: “to reduce our carbon emissions fossil fuels need to be left in the ground. Due to its detrimental local health impacts, persistent triggering of seismic events and climate-busting methane emissions fracking is especially toxic and should be banned in the UK as it has been in other countries.”

“Ineos relies on climate hostile fracked gas to produce more cheap virgin plastic”, says Andy Gheorghiu, policy advisor and campaigner for Food & Water Europe. “This company plays an active role in increasing the climate and plastic pollution crisis and it shouldn’t be allowed to greenwash it’s business model with the sponsorship of sports teams.”

Arrangement for photocall:

Altrincham  10.30 a.m.

Central Manchester 2.30 p.m.

ENDS

Notes:

1) https://inews.co.uk/sport/cycling/team-ineos-protests-fracking-jim-ratcliffe-cycling-tour-de-yorkshire-2019-team-sky/

https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/news/food-water-europe-activists-arrested-tour-de-france-violation-basic-civil-rights

Further notes for the editor:

Food & Water Europe, The Trans-Atlantic Plastics Pipeline: How Pennsylvania’s Fracking Boom Crosses the Atlantic

CIEL, Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet

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