Protestors Attend BP's 2011 Annual General Meeting
On April 14, BP held its first annual general meeting since the horrific loss of the drilling rig BP Deepwater Horizon in April of last year.
While BP portrays the last twelve months as "A Year of Change" in a corporate publicity film, media reports describe how the company faced angry protestors at its annual general meeting in London.
The protestors included Gulf Coast residents who remain upset with the company's handling of the Deepwater Horizon accident and post-accident reparations, together with shareholders unhappy with the high pay received by BP executives in spite of the disaster. The vocal BP opponents also included protestors who challenged the company's involvement in controversial petroleum projects in other parts of the world.
Ahead of the scheduled meeting, shareholders representing some 60 percent of voting BP shares reportedly voted against re-election of Sir William Castell as head of BP's safety committee.
Some protesters apparently were barred from entering the annual general meeting, including Texas resident Diane Wilson, whose family has been in the Gulf Coast fishing industry for generations. After the meeting began, a statement reportedly was read on behalf of Keith Jones, the father of Gordon Jones, one of the rig workers killed during the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. The unscheduled reading went forward despite BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg's attempt to stifle the speaker. In his statement Mr. Jones accused BP of losing while "rolling the dice with my son's life."
Byron Encalade, president of the Louisiana Oystermen Association, told the media that he traveled to the London meeting because thousands of Gulf Coast damages claims remained unpaid, reflecting a failure of the claims process for fishing communities on the Gulf Coast.
The protests by American Gulf Coast residents and fishermen, trade unionists in the UK, and environmentalists lasted several hours.
Financial reports indicate that BP's share price remains 30 percent below its level of April 2010, reflecting an enormous drop in value even as the company suffers its first annual loss in almost 20 years.
Many oil rig workers and other offshore workers injured in the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, along with businesses throughout the Gulf Coast region damaged by the impact of the oil spill, have called upon the attorneys of Arnold & Itkin LLP to assist them in resolving claims against Transocean and BP.
If you or a loved one have been injured in an oil rig or other maritime accident, our goal is to ensure you get the compensation you deserve. We have the expertise to handle maritime claims at port cities along the Gulf Coast in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Contact us using the form on this page if you have any questions regarding a possible maritime injury claim, or call us toll-free at 866-222-2606.
