Wallace Collection entrance
3rd Protest at French Film Festival
From Indymedia:
Four activists held a demonstration outside the Wallace Collection art gallery at Hertford House, Manchester Square, London on Wednesday 19th March. The Art Gallery is currently considering a sponsorship deal with Total so the activists were asking them not to accept sponsorship from the largest western sponsor of the brutal Burma junta. A boycott is not yet called for as it is hoped the gallery will do the right thing and not become associated by Total with oppression in Burma.
Banners were displayed at the entrance to the gallery. The demonstration lasted approximately 2 hours. It was started well before public opening time. Staff were leafleted to request their assistance in stopping Total exploiting the gallery's reputation to whitewash Total. Whilst some staff did not appear to be interested others were very keen for the gallery not to accept Total sponsorship.
Some members of the public arrived early and would have been turned away from visiting the gallery, if the activists had not managed to explain that Total sponsorship was still in discussion, so a boycott was not yet being requested by the demonstration.
Towards the end of the demonstration, a senior member of the gallery spoke to a couple of the activists and indicated that it was less likely that the gallery would accept Total sponsorship, though a final decision had not yet been made. He also mentioned having seen our demonstrations at the Total office at the nearby Cavendish Square.
We hope the Wallace Collection will not tarnish their reputation with dirty Totalitarian Oil and not let themselves be used to whitewash Total's dirty image.
Full Story
Protest at Totalitarian Oil sponsoring French Film Festival
Also on Wednesday 19th March, 6 protesters demonstrated at the French Film Festival at London Cine Lumiere 17 Queensberry Place London. Total was exploiting the French Film Festival and French Arts to try to whitewash their dirty reputation.
The protest was not against the film festival itself or the French films being shown.
It was the last week of the French Film Festival and the 3rd week that there had been a demonstration against Totalitarian Oil sponsoring the French Film Festival.
We were pleased to get support for our protest against Total from the speakers at the event in the previous two weeks: French Director Pierre Salvadori of the film "Priceless" and French director Jean Becker and French actor Jean-Pierre Darroussin of the film "Conversation with my Gardener". We thank them for posing for photographs with our banners and their comments to us in support of the oppressed Burmese.
We hope the French Film Festival will not be exploited by Total next year.
Protests in London Next Week
Wednesday 26th March
Burma Embassy for normal daily Burmese protest
12:00-1pm
Myanmar/Burma Embassy 19A, Charles St, London W1J 5DX.
Tube: Green Park | Map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2vnnbh
Total London HQ, 33 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PW
1:30pm-3:00pm
Tube: Oxford Circus | Map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2tylug
Kilburn Total station, 409 Kilburn High Rd, Kilburn, NW6 7QG
5:00pm - 7:00pm (Wednesday)
Tube: Kilburn | Map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2e8bb5
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