Shell Protest during President Obama’s Visit to Alaska

Activists protest Shell oil drilling in the Arctic in Anchorage and Seward as U.S. President Obama tours Alaska to bring a message of urgency on dealing with climate change. The “Rally to Confront the Glacial Pace of Political Action” was held in Anchorage as President Obama met with ministers from around the world for the GLACIER conference on climate change and the Arctic at the nearby Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center.

Alaskans including Besse Odom with Alaska NAACP, Noah Sunflower, Faith Gimmell of REDOIL, Kirk Karn from the Interfaith Climate Action Group, and Sweetwater Nannauck of Idle No More vocally and visibly highlight what they see as the President’s deeply hypocritical move to come to their state to highlight climate change immediately after he gave Shell approval to drill in the Arctic ocean.

Activists took the "Polar Profiteer" oil rig prop and the "Frostpaws" polar bear costume, signs and banners to Seward and displayed them along President Obama's motorcade route and on the shores of Resurrection Bay as the President passed by in a U.S. Coast Guard ship en route to the Exit Glacier which is quickly retreating due to the effects of climate change.