Activists blockade Total petrol station for Burma

Burma supporters blockade Total petrol station.

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On Wednesday 31st of September, 10 activists from Bradford used Buddhist prayer flags, signed with messages of support for Burma, 'held up' a Total petrol station to honour the second anniversary of the non-violent uprising of the buddhist monks in September 2007 which was violently suppressed by the Burmese military.  The petrol pumps were partially surrounded using the prayer flags, which meant those buying petrol had to drive over the prayer flags - not dissimilar to the way strike-breakers have to cross picket lines.  The protestors stayed on the site for 64 minutes - the Free Burma campaign has called for actions marking the 64th birthday of Aung Sang Suu Kyi, who won the election with 84% of the vote in 1990 and has remained under house arrest or in prison ever since.  40 drivers decided not to buy their petrol from Total.

Total was chosen for the protest because of the companies continued support for the Burmese military, despite Aung Sang Suu Kyi's call for a complete boycott of Burma until the military regime stops the opression of its people.  The media continues to be supressed (see the film Burma VJ for more information), many monks are still in prison and any opposition to the government is met with violence, imprisonment and torture.

Bradfords local paper did a video report on the protest available here - http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/4658183.VIDEO__Protest_message_taken_to_the_pumps/    (you might need to turn the audio up)

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