Axe Drax activists hunt down Drax executives after they dodged AGM

At 9am on 30 April, over 20 activists from Axe Drax hunted down Drax’s executives to their central London office after they refused to turn up to their own AGM.

The activists vaulted the building’s barriers and stormed the third floor offices, unfurling banners reading ‘Drax Kills’, ‘Drax is Toxic’ and ‘Go Breathe Poison, Willard’ in reference to Drax’s pollution of communities in the Southern US and the Drax CEO Willard Gardiner.

After activists had occupied the offices for an hour, security forcibly dragged them out one at a time. Activists heard an office worker saying “you know I don’t believe in climate change”. And the building manager said “if you let another person in you’re sacked” to security during the commotion. At 11am, two more activists entered the building letting off portable alarms attached to “retirement” helium balloons.

The Axe Drax action follows the revelation Drax received £999m in subsidy and the announcement by board members that they wouldn’t attend their AGM in person this year. This is after they closed their AGM early last year following interventions from activists. Drax cited “security concerns”, but this has been met with widespread condemnation as a move to simply avoid mounting criticism across sectors.

This action is one of many to happen around Drax’s AGM, including a demonstration outside the building where Drax’s shareholders are gathering by the Stop Burning Trees Coalition and the Climate Choir Movement with a planned day of tuneful protest.

Rosie Gloster, from pressure group Axe Drax, said:

Drax is falling apart as a company, facing numerous lawsuits, investigations by the FCA and rapidly falling profits despite the almost £1bn received in subsidies last year that we all footed the bill for.

It’s utterly pathetic that Drax thinks they can hide from the public and community members like this; we can all see through their dirty lies. We want to make one thing clear: whatever Drax does, we will not let them hide from the death and destruction they’re spreading around the world.

Sam Simmons, also from Axe Drax, said:

As much as Drax tries, they will never be able to hide from the fact they’re poisoning communities, destroying vital forests and ripping off billpayers here in the UK. If Drax wants to try and hide from the public, we will come to them.

Our money is footing the bill for their multi-million pay packets, we’re being forced into funding the poisoning of working-class, Black communities in the US – we will not let Drax hide behind a screen for as long as they continue their deadly business.

Featured image via Axe Drax