Oil company snoops target student climate protesters

Greenpeace Aotearoa is asking the Austrian Government to explain why its state controlled oil company OMV, has been using the notorious Thompson & Clark spy agency to attempt to thwart legitimate climate protests in New Zealand.

Journalist Nicky Hager has revealed OMV has been the main client paying the private investigation firm to spy on the climate movement including Greenpeace and student client strikers.

Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman says it's a new low for OMV and the oil industry to apply Stasi-like surveillance to students using legitimate peaceful protest in the fight for their future.

He says peaceful protest and climate activism are vital in a healthy democracy.

Student protesters occupied an OMV site in New Plymouth.

Government agencies in New Zealand have been barred from using Thompson and Clark after a 2018 State Services Commission Inquiry.

In Austria, OMV is also under the spotlight for using similar tactics to monitor Greenpeace and School Strike organisers using ‘Welund’, a company founded by a former MI6 agent.

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