Protestors disrupt everyday life

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Source: John Cameron on Unsplash

'I have to go to hospital... stop interfering with us!' Furious motorists DRAG Just Stop Oil protesters out of the road while one eco activist clambers on top of a police van and GLUES himself to it on day nine of protests

  • Eco-warriors Just Stop Oil are protesting for the ninth day in Westminster demanding an end to oil and gas
  • They say they will continue to disrupt roads and the public every day in October until fossil fuel use stops
  • Angry motorists have been pictured today dragging protesters out of the road and shouting at them
  • Protesters have been pictured appearing to be placed in handcuffs and one was filmed sitting on a police van 

Furious motorists have been pictured dragging members of the environmental group Just Stop Oil from the roads surrounding Westminster as activists stop traffic for the ninth day in a row, resulting in 45 arrests.

Dozens of protesters against the continued use of oil and gas despite their detrimental climate impacts have blocked roads in central London around the Houses of Parliament today, in a bid to force government to take action on the climate crisis.

One was filmed clambering on top of a police van which had arrived to deal with the protesters and gluing himself down to it by the hand. 

But motorists out and about this afternoon were frustrated by the protests and took matters into their own hands - attempting to forcibly remove the protesters from the roads themselves. 

There is also footage online of a white van driving towards the protesters at speed, before slamming the brakes on and stopping just a couple of centimetres in front of them.

This driver and others were shown violently pushing and shoving protesters, as well as dragging them towards the pavement. 

In one online video a driver can be heard saying: 'I have to go to hospital... stop interfering with us!'

Protesters, who held multiple banners and were all dressed in orange jackets, have vowed to disrupt roads for the rest of the month.

The Metropolitan Police says it has arrested 45 people for willful obstruction of the highway in Piccadilly today, just one day after it took 24 into custody for causing similar scenes in Marylebone Road. 

And there were further scenes of chaos on Saturday as vegans joined the eco-zealots by pouring milk all over the roads and covering shopfronts with paint.

Just Stop Oil said that one activist was left needing 'emergency' medical care  after being violently removed from the road by a motorist yesterday. 

In a statement, the organisation said: 'We are not backing down.

'Today, the Occupation of Westminster enters its 9th day. Massive disruption has been caused throughout the borough with multiple bridges and key A roads repeatedly blocked.

'Yesterday, a group of Just Stop Oil supporters remained resolutely nonviolent when confronted by the understandably frustrated members of the public. 

'One supporter required emergency medical treatment due to having been removed from the road by a member of the public. 

'The disruption will end when the Government makes a statement that it will halt all future licensing and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK.'

They vow to continue blocking roads in Westminster every day in October. 

Today activists have been pictured using methods to frustrate easy removal, including several lines of protesters and even locking themselves to one another using D-locks. 

One protester climbed on top of a police ban with a Just Stop Oil banner, reportedly gluing himself to the roof. He told passers-by: 'I'm angry. Sad... Where's the outrage?' 

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: 'A total of 45 people have been arrested for wilful obstruction of the highway after Just Stop Oil protests in Piccadilly on Sunday, 9 October. They have been taken into custody.'

Yesterday activists wearing luminous vests sat across Marylebone Road, while long queues of cars, buses and taxis angrily beeped their horns. 

There were 24 arrests made in relation to the Just Stop Oil protests yesterday.

One man was filmed being arrested during the protests, but told the interviewer he had simply congratulated them for their action.

He told reporters he lived 'round the corner' and simply came out to say to the activists he supports them, but quickly found himself detained by officers.

Today's action follows protests in the capital every day since last Saturday, which have also seen Just Stop Oil block roads around Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge and Trafalgar Square.

The sit-down yesterday during the week of action saw some protestors gluing themselves to the road to hinder attempts to remove them, as they continue to demand the Government stops new oil and gas projects.

Yesterday Just Stop Oil teamed up with Animal Rebellion, an off-shoot of Extinction Rebellion, to bring large parts of the capital to a standstill.

Members of the environmental protest groups poured milk on Regent Street and St James's Street as they marched through central London. 

The shopfront of William Evans gun room was covered with green paint and red paint was poured on the floors of Farlow's fishing, hunting and shooting supply store, as well as placing paper flowers outside.

The group say this is to expose the outdated practices of hunting, shooting and fishing, whilst also showing that a better world is possible.

While there was no sign of Animal Rebellion today, the group said its acts yesteday highlight the need for urgent and immediate transition towards a plant-based food system, away from the current one that includes the inefficient and unnecessary exploitation of nonhuman animals.

They also said the outside of the shop had been covered in origami flowers to represent the nature that could be restored and flourish if we move into a plant-based future, free from so-called 'blood sports'.

Robert Gordon, from York, said: 'A plant-based food system could feed more people, using less land, for less money. Instead of trapping farmers in dependence on outdated and inefficient subsidies, Ranil Jayawardena and DEFRA should be taking bold steps to assist farmers in a transition to a plant-based future with a meaningful and supportive subsidy system.

'It's time we have a government that backs farmers, rather than leaving them on their backs.'

The vegan activists who poured milk all over the floor in Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason yesterday were also arrested by police.

Hundreds of protestors from Animal Rebellion - an offshoot of the Extinction Rebellion group that describes itself as a 'mass movement using non-violent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system' - gathered at Green Park in London at 11am yesterday.

Before marching through central London, Sofia Fernandes Pontes from Madeira and Steve Bone from Essex, the duo who poured out milk over the two high-end London department stores in a protest against dairy products, were arrested by police.

The climate group has two demands, the first being for the Government to support farmers and fishing communities to move away from animal farming and fishing as part of an urgent and immediate transition to a plant-based food system.

Secondly the group wants the Government to commit to rewild the freed-up land and ocean as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon drawdown.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said yesterday: 'A 40-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested in Green Park on Saturday, 8 October on suspicion of criminal damage and theft. They have been taken into custody

'This relates to an incident at a business premises on Piccadilly, London, W1A on Friday, 7 October.'

*Source: Daily Mail 

*Click on the link to see photos and videos.



Climate activists glue themselves to frames of two Goya paintings in Madrid


 

Update:


Comments

Sir Joseph said…
Hi Graham,

I had seen some zealots of this group Just Stop-Oil gluing themselves in the Museum of Prado, but I didn´t know about these protests in London. It´s own of children whom the manager of the aforementioned group pays. I know that there are always druids who tell us what we have to do.

If you don´t agree whit one thing you may use or not it but you musn´t ban that other people use it. That is totalitarianism or dictatorship. There are people who don´t like football, telly or sunset, but they can´t abolish these things. Everybody is different and he doesn´t impose his difference to the rest.

If you want the rest to respect you, you must respect the rest. It´s elementary. There a lot of ways to expose what you think that it bad to you or other people, but violence is not good way. We live in society and there are rules and laws that we must observe. When you begin to impose your will without law, after it, another will come and will impose you his will and in this way successively. It´s better to live with law.

See you.
Sunday, 27 November, 2022
Graham said…
Evening Joseph,

The vast majority of these idiots are of upper-middle backgrounds and if you analysed their lifestyle, you'd find that they have a carbon footprint bigger than Joe Blogg. If I knew where they lived, I'd throw paint over the facade and cut off their energy supply.


I had seen some zealots of this group Just Stop-Oil gluing themselves in the Museum of Prado, but I didn´t know about these protests in London. It´s own of children (no idea wat you mean here whom the manager of the aforementioned group pays. I know that there are always druids who tell us what we have to do.

If you don´t agree with one thing, you may use it or not but you musn´t ban other people from using it. That is totalitarianism or dictatorship. There are people who don´t like football, the telly or sunsets, but they can´t abolish these things. Everybody is different and nobody can impose their ideas on the rest.

If you want others to respect you, you must respect the rest. It´s elementary. There are a lot of ways to expose/highlight what you think is bad for you or other people, but violence is not a good way. We live in a society and there are rules and laws that we must observe. When you begin to impose your will without law, another will then come along and will impose his will on you and in this way successively (not sure what you mean with this last point). It´s better to abide by the law.
Monday, 05 December, 2022
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