War protesters close fuel stations
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Greenpeace said they had cut power supply at petrol pumps.
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LONDON, England -- Greenpeace has forced 100 Esso petrol stations to close in what the environmental group called a protest against the company's support for war.
Up to 1,000 staff at the headquarters of Esso's British headquarters were also told to stay at home on Monday after protesters climbed onto a glass roof and posed a safety problem, said a spokesman for the UK subsidiary of Texas-based ExxonMobil.
About 300 volunteers targeted outlets across England and Wales, removing power switches that controlled pumps and locking fuel hoses together.
Greenpeace said the protest would continue throughout the day but no more of the company's 1,300 garages would be targeted. Instead, members would package up the fuel switches from the 100 petrol stations and send them to ExxonMobil in the United States.
A spokesman for the lobby group said 30 activists had been arrested and everyone involved in the protests would give themselves up to police during the day and "take responsibility for their actions."
"The action comes in response to Esso's ongoing campaign to keep the U.S. hooked on oil, fuelling war and causing global warming," he told the Press Association.
An Esso spokesman denied Greenpeace's claim that the company was pushing for military action in Iraq.
"People have every right to express their views but it is ludicrous to suggest that ExxonMobil is in any way encouraging a potential war in Iraq," he said.
"The Iraq situation is entirely a matter for governments, not companies to resolve.
"ExxonMobil has not been asked, has not inquired and has not had any discussion with the Bush administration -- or any other government -- regarding military action to gain access to Iraqi oil."
