PARIS: On Friday, Paris police used tear gas to separate demonstrators opposed to climate change who were attempting to interrupt the annual general meeting of French oil company TotalEnergies.
According to AFP, officers attempted to prevent people from accessing the meeting location by using tear gas on the protesters who were seated on the street outside after receiving three loudspeaker warnings.
A partnership of non-governmental organisations organised the demonstration, and dozens of demonstrators gathered near the Salle Pleyel site starting at daybreak.
They shouted slogans like “One, two, and three degrees, we have Total to thank” and “All we want is to knock down Total.”
Similar demonstrations have recently occurred during meetings of major oil tycoons including BP and Shell.
The five largest oil companies—BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Total Energies— joined companies this quarter to report earnings of more than $40 billion.
