Fifteen Belgian civil society organisations, including Greenpeace, have denounced what they call an “attempt at intimidation” by Engie and TotalEnergies.
Several employees and members of these organisations received letters from the companies, urging them to withdraw their support for the civil disobedience movement Code Rouge or face potential legal action.
Code Rouge, an independent citizen movement, conducts peaceful actions against major fossil fuel companies, which they argue are the “main culprits of climate disruption.” Among its supporters are ADES, Quinoa, Extinction Rebellion, and Vredesactie.
Following Code Rouge’s announcement of a new action scheduled between 24 and 28 October, TotalEnergies and Engie threatened to hold various organisations, and potentially their directors, accountable for any resulting damages.
The organisations criticised these threats as “absurd” from a legal standpoint and highlighted the violation of free expression. “It is clear that political support for a citizen movement cannot make an association, much less its individual members, liable,” the statement read.
These intimidation tactics are deemed “unacceptable” and are labelled part of a “worrying trend” of criminalising social movements and human and environmental rights defenders in Belgium, according to the signatories.
Damien Charles, a mobilisation officer at Quinoa, stated: “Fossil fuel companies accelerate climate disruption, endangering lives to generate colossal profits. After years of advocacy and mobilisation, we believe it is legitimate for citizens to resort to non-violent civil disobedience.”
He added, “These threats are a testament to the effectiveness of Code Rouge’s actions, which have previously targeted Engie and TotalEnergies, and only strengthen our support for the movement.”
