Groups campaigning against some of the sponsors of the London 2012 Games protested in Canary Wharf today.
London Mining Network, UK Tar Sands Network and Bhopal Medical Appeal held a demonstration outside the head office of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) in Churchill Place.
The groups, behind the Greenwash Gold 2012 campaign, said they held the protest because LOCOG has refused to meet them over their concerns about sponsors of the Games.
The group said LOCOG refused to meet with them again this morning, but a spokesman for London 2012 said: “We were not aware that anyone requested a meeting with us today concerning this.”
The protesters, who say they have concerns over the human rights and environmental records of Olympic sponsors Dow, BP and Rio Tinto, held giant dummy megaphones and carried a banner for their organisation.
Emily Coats from the UK Tar Sands Network said: “We’ve been trying since February to arrange a meeting with LOCOG to discuss the inappropriateness of fossil-fuel giant BP being Sustainability Partner.
“LOCOG’s refusal to meet us confirms that they are more concerned about greenwashing their corporate clients than about real green issues.”
Colin Toogood from Bhopal Medical Appeal said: “LOCOG and Lord Coe have been ignoring the Bhopal Medical Appeal’s request for a meeting since last August when the The Dow Chemical Company’s sponsorship of the stadium wrap was announced.”
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