Twitter And Wikipedia Smash Pollution Gagging Order

A secret gagging order against the Guardian newspaper has been lifted, following a Twitter campaign which revealed the subject of that order to have been discussion of alleged dumping of toxic waste in Africa.

Shipping company Trafigura yesterday tried to prevent the Guardian newspaper from reporting a question in Parliament about an incident in 2006, when Probo Koala, a ship run by Trafigura delivered a hundred tons of toxic waste to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, where it was dumped.

Fifteen people reportedly died from the incident, for which Trafigura has denied responsibility, while attempting to prevent discussion of it. The company tried to prevent the Guardian from reporting on a parliamentary question about the injunction itself, according to the paper.

“The ban on reporting parliamentary proceedings on legal grounds appeared to call into question privileges guaranteeing free speech established under the 1688 Bill of Rights,” said the Guardian’s David Leigh.

When the Guardian reported that it was banned from reporting something and could not give any further details, the story was widely tweeted and appeared on Wikipedia – and the ban on reporting the parliamentary question was dropped.

Activists are using Twitter and other social media increasingly: August’s Climate Camp in Blackheath was set up partly through Twitter, and last month Gordon Brown announced his intention to go to the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen, after a flashmob assembled outside Parliament demanding action.

“From now on, if anyone says 2 me “twitter’s just ppl talking abt their breakfast” i’ll say 1 wrd 2 them: Trafigura,” tweeted @nicktheowl.

Picture – Greenpeace