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LONDON — Annie Lennox, Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke and Ewan McGregor were among celebrities tweeting their support Thursday for six Greenpeace activists who were climbing a London skyscraper.
The stunt on East London’s Shard, one of the British capital’s latest additions to its skyline, was designed as a protest against oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, particularly by oil giant Shell. The Shard, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, is Europe’s tallest building with a height of just over one thousand feet (310 meters).
The stunt also drew wide coverage on TV news reports and newspaper websites.
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“Here’s an example of risking life and limb for a cause you believe in,” tweeted Lennox in support of the stunt. “Show your support by sharing #iceclimb.”
Using the same hash tag, Yorke said on Twitter: “protesters climbing ‘the Shard’ London to piss off Shell. Nice!”
McGregor was more factual in his first tweet, saying: “6 woman climbing the Shard for Greenpeace.” He then suggested people follow a live stream of the climb, adding: “Amazing bravery.”
One of the Greenpeace climbers tweeted: “Look up London. We’re attempting to scale the Shard, Europe’s tallest skyscraper.”
The climb, which involved ropes and other mountain climbing equipment, started in the morning and continued into the early afternoon.
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“Shell is leading the oil companies’ drive into the Arctic, investing billions in its Alaskan and Russian drilling programs,” Greenpeace said in a statement. “A worldwide movement of millions has sprung up to stop them, but Shell is refusing to abandon its plans.”
The company expressed respect for Greenpeace’s right to start an “exchange of views.”
“If responsibly developed, Arctic energy resources can help offset supply constraints and maintain energy security for consumers throughout the world,” Shell also said.
E-mail: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
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