A fearless band of grannies faced down police officers and semi-trucks early Tuesday as they led a direct action blockading the entrances to the Seattle Port terminal where the Shell Oil’s Polar Pioneer drilling rig is moored.

Continuing the fierce local fight at the home berth of the Arctic drilling fleet, activists used their bodies, chains, and cement-filled barrels to halt operations at the Seattle port.

According to reports, six members of the “Raging Grannies,” a group of Seattle grandmothers, were arrested as they led five successful blockades around Terminal 5.

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“My generation is responsible for how things are today. This rig will destroy any hope of a liveable future for our children and grandchildren,” said Seattle granny Annette Klapstein. “It’s our duty to be out here.”

Organized under the rally cry of “sHell No!,” the blockade follows five days of pickets at the port, as well as a mass protest and kayak “flotilla” late last month, which coincided with the arrival of the Arctic drilling fleet at Terminal 5. Environmental activists say that Seattle marks the new ground-zero in the fight against extreme energy extraction, amid a growing call for a more renewable, more sustainable power supply.

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