Only days after Patrick Moore, the disillusioned co-founder of Greenpeace, said the green movement has become a “combination of extreme political ideology and religious fundamentalism rolled into one,” Greenpeace seems determined to prove Moore was right.
The group has launched a fun-sucking, fundamentalist attack on the toy company Lego, claiming “Shell is using Lego to clean up its image for dirty oil drilling” in the Arctic.
Greenpeace, like an environmental Bible-thumper, demands, “Lego, how will you rebuild what Shell destroys?”
In fact all Lego has done is agree a deal in which the Anglo-Dutch petroleum giant gives away Shell-branded Lego toys at petrol stations. According to Upstream, an oil and gas industry news site, Greenpeace claims that since 2012, 16 million Shell-branded Lego toys have been sold or given away at petrol stations in 26 countries. Greenpeace claims this damages children’s perception of the Arctic, saying:
“Climate change is an enormous threat facing all children around the world, but Shell is trying to hijack the magic of Lego to hide its role.”
The deal between the two companies was reportedly worth $116m (£67.6m), with another deal set to start this year, it added.
Greenpeace activists have staged a protest at Legoland, outside London, to deface the scenes of the Houses of Parliament and other landmarks made of Lego bricks with anti-Arctic drilling messages.
Lego has responded on Twitter: “We’re always thankful for input we receive from fans, children, and parents alike. We know the importance of this issue. We’re determined to leave a positive impact on our society & children.”
“We’re saddened when the Lego brand is used as a tool in any dispute between organizations. However, we fully expect Shell to live up to their responsibility & take appropriate action to any potential claims. It is important to us that any partnerships we have support our vision, promise, & has Lego play at the core.”
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