25-07-2025
Abseiling eco activists shut Forth Road Bridge to protest against Man Utd owner
Abseiling Greenpeace activists shut the Forth Road Bridge in a protest against Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
A group of 10 activists from the environmental group abseiled beneath the bridge on Friday afternoon and unveiled banners saying, 'Plastics Treaty Now'.
The protest came ahead of Donald Trump's visit to Scotland this weekend.
The activists were suspended 25 metres above the Firth of Forth, with a Greenpeace rescue team on standby on the bridge and a boat monitoring them below.
Greenpeace said they were attempting to block a shipment of ethane to the plastics plant at Grangemouth, near Edinburgh, which is owned by Ineos.
The plant produces virgin plastics, which are used in the production of other plastic products.
Greenpeace accused Sir Jim and the company of opposing its demands for a 75 per cent reduction in global plastic pollution by 2040.
The group's stunt came ahead of the final negotiations for the United Nations' global plastics treaty, which is aiming to tackle plastic pollution.
'Plastic pollution has reached a crisis point: it's poisoning our land, seas, air, even our bodies,' said Amy Cameron, Greenpeace UK's programme director.
'The Global Plastics Treaty offers us a once-in-a-generation chance to tackle the problem for good, so it's no surprise Ineos and its billionaire boss, Jim Ratcliffe, are doing everything they can to stop it.
'Ratcliffe tries to distract us with sports teams and sponsorships, but we're not going to let him fill our planet with plastic, so he can fill his pockets with profit.'
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: 'We were made aware of a protest on the Forth Road Bridge around 1.05pm on Friday, 25 July. Officers remain in attendance and are engaging with those involved.'
