Around 60 supporters of Just Stop Oil have disrupted traffic in Westminster today for the fourth day in a row to demand an end to new oil and gas. [1]
The group chanted “no new oil” outside Downing Street before marching in the road towards Parliament Square where they established roadblocks on all four sides by sitting in the road. Some have glued themselves to the road surface.
The actions this month are timed to coincide with the planned launch of a new round of oil and gas licensing by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) in which over 100 new licences for oil and gas projects are likely to be awarded. The NSTAs chief executive said yesterday that a number of gas projects in the southern North Sea will be fast tracked although this will do nothing to reduce the UK’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.[2]
Just Stop Oil’s occupation of Westminster also comes against a background of an energy price hike on October 1st which means almost 8 million households are expected to fall into fuel poverty by April 1st 2023, while energy companies make massive profits. Our Prime Minister has made it clear that she has no plan to deal with the crisis that does not involve further suffering for the most vulnerable and tax giveaways for the rich. [3]
Anna Holland, 20 a student at Newcastle University said:
“People need to understand that we are not criminals. We are peacefully demanding that our government ends its unlawful genocide and protects its people – where is the crime in that?
“ When asked why I would risk my future with arrest and a criminal record, I always reply: what future? If I don’t take peaceful action to demand change, I don’t see a future for myself or people of my generation.”
Alan Woods, 58, a company director from Wigan said:
“I’m a supporter of Just Stop Oil because as a business owner I won’t have business left unless we pressure our government to stop all new oil and gas, invest in renewables and roll out insulation.
“The solution to the energy crisis and the climate crisis are the same – we’re at a crossroads. The government must make the right choice. As a business owner of over 40 years I’ve seen a lot of challenges, but the climate and energy crisis is the most important issue of our time; that’s why I have to be here when I should be back in Wigan running my business.”
This is not a one day event, this is an act of resistance against a criminal government and their genocidal death project. Our supporters will be returning – today – tomorrow- and the next day – and the next day after that – and every day until our demand is met – no new oil and gas in the UK.
We will not stand by while everything we know and love is wilfully destroyed. We do this because it is the right thing to do and so we have a duty, a responsibility to continue.
We will not be intimidated by changes to the law, we will not be stopped by private injunctions sought to silence peaceful people. Our supporters understand that these are irrelevant when set against mass starvation, slaughter, the loss of our rights, freedoms and communities.
Stand with our supporters in prison, with the 1700 murdered across the global, for protecting our futures. We will not die silently, it will be ordinary people, like you, your friends, colleagues and neighbours who do what our government cannot. It will take all of us. [4]
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
[1] Just Stop Oil is a coalition of groups working together to demand that the government immediately halt all future licensing and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK. More information here: https://juststopoil.org/
[2] https://www.ft.com/content/8146804f-770e-42ee-8435-72469f92b4fd
[3] https://www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk/news/
[4] There are now 8 Just Stop Oil supporters in prison on remand or serving sentances for taking action to demand that the government halts new oil and gas licenses. They are Rajan Naidu, Sarah Benn, Simon Milner-Edwards, Margaret Reid, Michelle Charlesworth, Barry Mitchell, Joshua Smith and Louis McKechnie. In addition, Scott Breen is in prison for taking action against the Southhampton to Heathrow pipeline and Elliott Cuciurean is in prison for taking action against HS2.
