Anti-Arctic drilling kayaktivists hold 'Shell No' protest
Source: AP
By MARTHA BELLISLE
SEATTLE (AP) — Hundreds of activists decked out in neoprene wetsuits and life jackets took to the waters of Elliott Bay on Saturday in kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and other vessels to send the message that Royal Dutch Shell should cancel its plan to drill in the Arctic Ocean.
The "Paddle in Seattle" — a daylong, family friendly festival in a West Seattle park and an on-the-water protest by "Shell No" kayaktivists — was held only blocks from where Shell's Polar Pioneer drilling rig is docked at the Port of Seattle's Terminal 5. The brightly colored boats lined the grass as paddlers loaded gear while lights on the towering rig twinkled in the background.
Once out on the water, kayakers gathered in formation and hoisted signs and banners that read: "Climate Justice," ''Oil-Free Future," ''Shell No, Seattle Draws The Line," and "We can't burn all the oil on the planet and still live on it." Many had posters or red scarfs that had the Shell logo with crossed kayak paddles underneath -- resembling the skull-and-crossbones image.
Eric Day, with the Swinomish Indian Tribe, was one of many Native American paddlers who brought their canoes to the event. Drilling in the Arctic would hurt those who live off the land, he said.
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A small flotilla of kayakers protesting the oil drilling rig Polar Pioneer are followed by a U.S. Coast Guard boat Thursday, May 14, 2015, in Elliott Bay in Seattle. The rig is the first of two drilling rigs Royal Dutch Shell is outfitting for oil exploration and was towed to the Port of Seattle site despite the city's warning that it lacks permits and threats by kayaking environmentalists to paddle out in protest. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/28ffeb098c3f4955b7a2dad13a5b5153/anti-arctic-drilling-kayaktivists-hold-shell-no-protest
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