Scuffles, protests mar BP shareholder meeting

Scuffles between protesters and security guards marred BP's first annual shareholder meeting since the Gulf oil spill, with shrimpers blocked from entering Thursday's meeting to demand more compensation.

The protesters included five Gulf Coast residents who had planned to tell investors about the loss of their livelihoods and health problems after the spill. Outside the building, separate groups demonstrated over BP's polluting tar sands project in Canada and labour disputes in Britain.

Diane Wilson, a fourth-generation fisherwoman from Seadrift, Texas, was arrested after evading security to enter the foyer of the building, where she covered herself in a dark syrup to represent oil.

"I've come all the way here from the Gulf Coast," Wilson said. "My community is gone, and they won't let me in."

Inside the venue, hundreds of BP PLC investors who have watched the company lose a quarter of its market value - some $55 billion - over the past year and lost their dividend payments questioned board members about excessive executive pay packets and a lack of transparency on safety improvements.

But there was also support for BP's board from some quarters, with new Chief Executive Bob Dudley frequently winning smatterings of applause for his comments, including his opening statement that "BP remains a great company with a great history and, I believe, a great future."

"Not every company gets such an opportunity, and we don't intend to squander it," he added, stressing the company's three priorities post-spill as strengthening safety, winning back the company's reputation and restoring long-term value for shareholders.

- AP