Arnold Schwarzenegger to sue oil firms 'for first-degree murder'

Arnold Schwarzenegger is taking on big oil, revealing plans to sue companies for allegedly "knowingly killing" people.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning to sue oil companies.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning to sue oil companies. Source: AP

Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning to sue oil companies, claiming they are "knowingly killing people all over the world".

The former California governor accused big oil of "first-degree murder", revealing on Sunday he is already in talks with several private firms.

"This is no different from the smoking issue," the Terminator actor told  podcast.
Mr Schwarzenegger continued: "The tobacco industry knew for years and years and years and decades that smoking would kill people, would harm people and create cancer, and were hiding that fact from the people and denied it. Then eventually they were taken to court and had to pay hundreds of millions of dollars because of that.

“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.”

He added: "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. I think it's the same thing with the oil companies."
The 70-year-old said oil companies have a responsibility to warn people about health risks. 

"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," he said.

"Every gas station on it, every car should have a warning label on it, every product that has fossil fuels should have a warning label on it."
Arnold Schwarzenegger is taking on big oil.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is taking on big oil. Source: AP

Weighing in on #MeToo

The environmental activist, speaking at South by Southwest in Texas, also commented on the burgeoning #MeToo movement.

At the end of his first campaign for governor in 2003, allegations of groping and inappropriate behaviour resurfaced against him.

"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 apologise'."

 

 


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3 min read
Published 13 March 2018 3:53pm
Updated 13 March 2018 4:50pm
Source: SBS News

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