Charlotte Church performs 'Titanic' song in Shell arctic drilling protest

Charlotte Church: The singer has joined the Greenpeace campaign
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Hannah Al-Othman26 August 2015

Singer and activist Charlotte Church has performed a Titanic-inspired protest song outside oil giant Shell's London headquarters over the company's efforts to drill in the Arctic.

Charlotte Church outside the company's headquarters
Beretta/Sims/Rex

Ms Church sang with a string quartet close to the HQ as part of a month-long protest by Greenpeace, who warn drilling in the Arctic could lead to environmental disaster.

She told supporters her rendition of Dinah Washington's This Bitter Earth was aimed at Shell staff in a bid to make them question the company's actions.

The performance, sheltered from the pouring rain under a railway arch, was inspired by the string quartet on the Titanic who continued to perform as the ship sank after hitting an iceberg, Greenpeace said.

Ms Church said: "This is aimed at the people who are working at Shell... to do something so emotive outside their offices and make the people who are working there question some things.

"I think it's a really interesting form of protest to meld protest with art and I think this was really smart."

The singer has lent her name to other causes in the past, and joined a march against government austerity measures in Cardiff earlier this year.

Charlotte Church at today's protest
Philip Toscano/PA

A Shell spokesman said: “Shell respects the right of people to protest against the activities we undertake to ensure the world's energy needs are met. However, it is disappointing that Greenpeace continually chooses to focus on mounting publicity stunts rather than engage constructively in the debate about how to meet the world’s growing demand for energy while reducing CO2 emissions.

“We believe we can play an important role in developing the Arctic’s energy resources. We choose to explore there because we have the expertise and experience to operate responsibly and be profitable at the same time.

“Many Arctic peoples and governments agree with that judgment. They support the opportunity to explore for oil and gas in their territories and those governments have awarded Shell the licenses to conduct those operations.

“The reality is that hydrocarbons will remain a major part of the world's energy system for many years, not least because they provide the path to prosperity for many millions of people in the developing world, enabling them to enjoy living standards that the western world takes for granted.”

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