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Wednesday, Mar 18, 2026

Extinction Rebellion activists blockade then break into UK’s largest oil refinery to roll out ‘no future in fossil fuels’ banner

Extinction Rebellion activists blockade then break into UK’s largest oil refinery to roll out ‘no future in fossil fuels’ banner

Extinction Rebellion has deployed its infamous pink boat to blockade the entrance to Hampshire's Fawley ExxonMobil oil refinery, with demonstrators cutting through the site's electric fence to unveil a banner over its oil silos.
In a statement released on Thursday, the climate activist group confirmed they had broken into the Fawley Oil refinery to “demand that the Government stops all new fossil fuel investments immediately.”

15 activists, including British Olympians Laura Baldwin and Etienne Stott, descended on the site in the early hours of the morning, with several of the activists breaching the electrified perimeter fence to scale two 50-foot oil silos.

The group unveiled banners declaring that there is a “climate emergency” and “no future in fossil fuels,” sharing photos of the stunt on their Twitter account.

Extinction Rebellion simultaneously blocked access to the UK’s largest oil refinery with the group’s infamous pink boat, the Beverly Geronimo, claiming that, “despite warnings,” British government officials are “letting Exxon expand to increase by 40%.”

Due to the blockade at the gate of the Hampshire site, the climate activists confirmed ExxonMobil had sent its staff home for the day and police were on site to try and disperse the protest.

The stated goal of the demonstration on Thursday is to secure a commitment from ExxonMobil to stop its expansion plans at the Fawley oil refinery, which supplies 20% of the UK’s fossil fuels.
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