Climate activists disrupt OMV general meeting: security intervenes!

Climate activists disrupt OMV general meeting: security intervenes!

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the general meeting of the oil, gas and chemical group OMV took place, which was accompanied by loud protests by numerous climate activists. During the presentation of CEO Alfred Stern, the activists shouted slogans such as "Gas out of gas, out of oil" and interrupted the session with banners, which led to considerable unrest in the event hall. The supervisory board chief Lutz Feldmann tried to de -escalate the situation by asking the protesters to speak in an orderly manner. "You disrupt the ordered course of the session, stop it," he appealed. Nevertheless, the activists ignored these requests, which caused security personnel to intervene and some demonstrators were carried out. This was acknowledged by the majority of the shareholders present.

The protests are in the context of a broader criticism of the activities of OMV, especially with regard to the controversial gas project Neptune Deep in the Romanian Black Sea. Greenpeace has sharply condemned the planned promotion of fossil gas. The organization warns that the project could lead to tens of thousands of early deaths due to extreme temperatures by the end of the century. A forecast by Greenpeace Romania estimates up to 46,000 temperature -related deaths up to 2100, which are due to greenhouse gas emissions from this project. Finally, a Greenpeace activist protested with an electric paraglider near the Transocean Barents platform and unrolled a banner with the inscription "Stop Fossil Gas".

social reactions

already 50,000 people in Romania have expressed their resistance to the Neptune Deep project, while Greenpeace demands in an open letter that the EU and national governments prohibit all new fossil infrastructure projects in the EU. This week the European Gas Conference is scheduled in Bucharest, and further protests are expected.

Currently, the climate movement is experiencing a critical phase in which various social movements compete for attention and support. Sebastian Hauns emphasizes that despite its diversity, the climate movement has not yet achieved all political goals to comply with the 1.5-degree goal. The number of participants of movements such as Fridays for Future has dropped since corona pandemic, and the perception of the current forms of protest is ambivalent. While some groups enjoy high approval values, the last generation is criticized for their more radical methods.

legal challenges

In addition, Greenpeace is faced with a slapping lawsuit by the OMV partner Romgaz in Romania, while the court in North Dakota Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace sentenced internationally to a fine of $ 660 million, based on a legal dispute with Energy Transfer. In Italy, too, the oil and gas company Eni is negotiated against Greenpeace for similar allegations. These legal disputes illustrate the challenges with which environmental protection organizations are confronted.

Overall, the current situation shows how urgent and controversial the discussions about fossil energies in Europe are. The protests of the climate activists during the OMV general meeting represent only one of many voices that get up against the dependence on fossil fuels. The upcoming events and the reactions of the public will be crucial for which direction the climate movement will take over in the next few years.