The last few days have been somewhat of a nightmare for Volkswagen, as a group of Greenpeace campaigners attempted to stop Volkswagen diesel imports from entering the UK.
A duo, who were arrested at around 2pm on the 22nd September, spent the night on top of a lighting gantry in the vehicle park, where they immobilised many of the VW diesel cars by holding the keys. They also attached messages to every car key seized, calling on the car giant to ditch diesel.
Three other protestors were arrested after activists in kayaks and boats boarded a ship bringing Volkswagen diesel cars into the UK. They hung from the 27-metre-high unloading door and said they would not disembark until VW committed to take its “toxic cars” back to Germany.
A spokesman commented on the incident: “Officers attended and worked with partners including Peel Ports, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Kent Fire and Rescue Service to bring the situation to a safe conclusion whilst facilitating a peaceful protest.”
Volkswagen said: “We are aware of a protest this morning at the Sheerness port in Kent. The ship contains a variety of Volkswagen Group vehicles including petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid models. The diesel vehicles, which are the subject of the protest meet strict Euro 6 emissions standards.”
Although the protest was dealt with within 24 hours, VW weren’t prepared for the crisis to arise.
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