Jakarta – Nearly two dozen Greenpeace activists were forcibly dragged away by security guards Thursday while protesting the destruction of Indonesia's forests by one of the country's largest palm oil companies, witnesses said.

Demonstrators dressed in bright orange jumpsuits chained themselves to the entrance of a high-rise building that houses Sinar Mas' headquarters and many other offices.

"We are facing the greatest threat to humanity – climate chaos – yet companies like Sinar Mas continue to destroy forests and peatlands," releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, said Bustar Maitar, a Greenpeace campaigner, after demonstrators were forcibly removed from the premises. Some were first thrown to the ground or otherwise roughed up.

Sinar Mas, which has palm oil plantations covering about 125,000 hectares in Indonesia, defended the action of the ecurity guards, saying the activists were making it impossible for people to reach their Jakarta offices. Company spokesman Gandi Sulistiyanto denied excessive force was used or that his company was in any way acting illegally.

Indonesia is the third-highest emitter of carbon dioxide behind China and he United States, largely because of rising demands for palm oil, which is used in candies, cosmetics and to meet demands for "clean-burning" fuel in Europe and the United States.