He’s declaring warzenegger.
Appearing at SXSW in Austin, Texas, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that Big Oil should consider him a “Predator” but he failed to “Kindergarten Cop” to past allegations of sexual misconduct.
During a live recording of Politico’s Off Message podcast Sunday, the former California governor revealed his plan to sue oil companies, drawing a comparison to how tobacco companies hid details about how harmful their products were for consumers.
“The oil companies knew from 1959 on, they did their own study that there would be global warming happening because of fossil fuels, and on top of it that it would be risky for people’s lives, that it would kill,” Schwarzenegger said.
“We’re going to go after them, and we’re going to be in there like an Alabama tick. Because to me it’s absolutely irresponsible to know that your product is killing people and not have a warning label on it, like tobacco.”
The star of “Junior” has yet to establish an exact date for when he’ll be filing the lawsuit, but he claims to be discussing it with several private law firms, stating that even if they fail, he hopes it will at least promote further awareness about the effects of climate change.
“I don’t think there’s any difference: If you walk into a room and you know you’re going to kill someone, it’s first degree murder,” he said. “I think it’s the same thing with the oil companies.”
While Schwarzenegger appears to be talking about oil companies’ disastrous effect on the environment as a whole, he could just as easily be referring to an incident that saw 10 activists get tortured and killed in Nigeria.
The victims’ families accused Shell Oil of working with the Nigerian government to silence them, with the case ultimately ending in a $15.5 million payout.
The former two-term head of the Golden State also discussed the #MeToo movement in light of past accusations made against him.
In what would be termed “Gropegate,” six women came forward in 2003 to say Schwarzenegger, then a candidate for governor, touched them without consent.
Labeling the groping allegations “politically motivated,” Schwarzenegger offered his support of women coming forward as well as a vague mea culpa.
“It is about time. I think it’s fantastic. I think that women have been used and abused and treated horribly for too long, and now all of the elements came together to create this movement, and now finally puts the spotlight on this issue, and I hope people learn from that,” he said.
“You’ve got to take those things seriously. You’ve got to look at it and say, ‘I made mistakes. And I have to apologize.'”
