Extinction Rebellion activists break into Arkema chemical factory

Activists from the Extinction Rebellion and Youth for Climate collectives entered a chemical factory of the Arkema company in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite, in the Rhône, on Saturday March 2 at the start of the afternoon, before being quickly blocked and evacuated from the site by the police. Eight people were arrested, indicates the prefecture.

In a video posted on the Extinction Rebellion YouTube account, we see at least fifty people dressed in white overalls, some masked, cut a section of the fence surrounding the site and enter inside the factory, before the intervention of the police forces. The Rhône prefecture counted around a hundred participants in total. Extinction Rebellion claims nearly 400. Eight people were arrested, indicates the Rhône prefecture. Tags “Arkemagouilles”, “Producer of eternal pollutants”, “Arkemassassins” were written on the portal of one of the site entrances.

In May 2023, around ten associations and alleged victims took Arkema to court. They accuse the Oullins-Pierre-Bénite factory of releasing PFAS, eternal, toxic pollutants into the Rhône, adjoining the site. The courts rejected this environmental referral in November 2023.