France: Climate protesters block TotalEnergies meeting

Several hundred climate protesters disrupted the TotalEnergies shareholders meeting in Paris and blocked the entrance to the gathering Wednesday to denounce the oil and gas giant's stake in Russia despite Moscow's war in Ukraine.

TotalEnergies tweeted that due to activists impeding access to the meeting, “it, unfortunately, won't be possible for our shareholders to join us.” It said interested viewers could follow the meeting on the company's website.

Protesters representing Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and other environmental organizations denounced TotalEnergies for its huge presence in Russia as well as an oil pipeline project in Uganda and Tanzania that the protesters denounced as a “climate bomb.” TotalEnergies, a subsidiary of Total, published in March its “principles of conduct” in Russia, which said the company would “gradually suspend its activities in Russia” and strictly comply with European Union sanctions “no matter what the consequences on the management of its assets in Russia.” The statement said TotalEnergies does not operate oil or gas fields or liquified natural gas plants in Russia but has numerous stakes in various Russian companies. It said the company continues supplying Europe with liquefied natural gas from a plant in Russia's Yamal Peninsula to honor long-term contracts “as long as Europe's governments consider that Russian gas is necessary.”

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