Climate activists blocked Amazon warehouses in three European countries on Friday.
Extinction Rebellion members targeted 13 Amazon fulfillment centers in the UK with the aim of cutting off 50% of the company’s shipments on Black Friday, the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season. They organized similar protests in Germany and the Netherlands.
“The action is intended to draw attention to the exploitative and environmentally destructive business practices of Amazon, the disregard for workers’ rights in the name of corporate profits and the waste of Black Friday,” the group said. It vowed to stay on the scene
At least 13 people have been arrested at three of the UK locations, some of whom were arrested on suspicion of serious trespassing or public harassment, police said.
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Extinction Rebellion and dozens of other activist groups in the US and around the world are organizing a day of global protests and strikes against Amazon on Friday to demand better working conditions from the company, to commit to sustainable business practices, and to pay its fair share of taxes.
| ticker | safety | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM, INC. | 3,561.57 | +57.01 | +1.63% |
In the United States, union activists were planning a small protest at the Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island, New York.
Activists in the UK blocked the entrance to the Amazon warehouse in Tilbury, east of London, with an image of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos sitting on a rocket.
At Amazon’s distribution center in Dunfermline, Scotland, about 20 members of the Extinction Rebellion hung banners reading “Make Amazon Pay” across the access road and banded together to prevent trucks from entering and some from exiting.
Amazon did not respond to a request for comment directly on the protests, but said the company took its responsibility “very seriously”.
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“That includes our commitment to be net zero by 2040, 10 years before the Paris Agreement, to provide excellent pay and benefits in a safe and modern work environment, and to support tens of thousands of UK small businesses selling in our store. “Said the company.
Extinction Rebellion activists also blocked an Amazon logistics center in Bad Hersfeld, central Germany, by erecting makeshift bamboo scaffolding that they used to hang themselves in the air. The authorities later removed them with the help of a fire ladder truck, according to a video published on the group’s German Facebook page.
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The group held a similar protest at an Amazon facility at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
