Ocurrió en 2005, el día en que el Protocolo de Kyoto era puesto en marcha. 35 activistas de Greenpeace irrumpieron en el International Petroleum Exchange, donde se realizan las operaciones a gritos entre los agentes en el parqué ("open outcry trading"). Los activistas querían paralizar las operaciones invadiendo el parqué con silbatos y atando alarmas a globos para que no estuvieran al alcance y el ruido impidiera los intercambios. Lo que no se esperaban los activistas es que los "traders" del crudo se encararan con ellos y los echaran del parqué y del edificio a puñetazo limpio. Literalmente.
Así lo relataba The Times el 17 de Febrero de 2005:
When a trader left the building shortly before 2pm, using a security swipe card, a protester dropped some coins on the floor and, as he bent down to pick them up, put his boot in the door to keep it open.
Two minutes later, three Greenpeace vans pulled up and another 30 protesters leapt out and were let in by the others. (...)
But they were set upon by traders, most of whom were under the age of 25. “They were kicking and punching men and women indiscriminately,” a photographer said. “It was really ugly, but Greenpeace did not fight back.”
Mr Beresford said: “They followed the guys into the lobby and kept kicking and punching them there. They literally kicked them on to the pavement.”
Last night Greenpeace said two protesters were in hospital, one with a suspected broken jaw, the other with concussion. (...)
“We bit off more than we could chew. They were just Cockney barrow boy spivs. Total thugs,” one protester said, rubbing his bruised skull. “I’ve never seen anyone less amenable to listening to our point of view.”
Another said: “I took on a Texan Swat team at Esso last year and they were angels compared with this lot.” Behind him, on the balcony of the pub opposite the IPE, a bleary-eyed trader, pint in hand, yelled: “Sod off, Swampy.”
