Large-scale blockade of TotalEnergies infrastructure in Belgium announced

Code Red, an open action group announced a large-scale blockade of important TotalEnergies infrastructure in Belgium on 8 and 9 October.

The blockade was announced this morning while some activists held a small action to point out the huge profits the multinational is making at the TotalEnergies petrol station on Belliardstraat in Brussels. The activists are angry because the energy bill has risen by 900 percent, while the profits of TotalEnergies have increased by 93 percent. The activists complained that more and more families are getting into financial difficulties, while multinationals like TotalEnergies are given free rein from political angles.

"Instead of getting caught up in discussions about climate guilt and finger-pointing, our gaze should go to the companies that would like to keep us in this fossil system that is profitable for them for as long as possible. With TotalEnergies' net profit for one quarter, it would already be possible to insulate the homes of 112,000 families and thus reduce their energy bills," says Jasmijn Defize, spokesperson for Code Red.

Tuesday's action is a call for civil disobedience and a large-scale blockade at TotalEnergies. The open action group, which is supported by some fifteen organisations including Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion, Youth for Climate, Tegengas or Vredesactie, organises training sessions every weekend in different cities to train citizens for the action. Together they want to denounce the responsibility of the fossil industry in the social and climate crisis.

© BELGA PHOTO