Just Stop Oil supporters have blocked The Mall near Buckingham Palace in London today causing delays and disruption for the tenth day running. They are demanding that the government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents. [1]
At 08:45 this morning, 30 Just Stop Oil supporters established a roadblock on the Mall stopping traffic in either direction. They are sitting in the road with Just Stop Oil banners.
Ailith Stewart, 20, a student from Edinburgh said:
“I’m taking action with Just Stop Oil because I’m tired of feeling ignored by the government at Westminster. Their decisions don’t represent the best interests of the people. There is so much that can be done to mitigate the climate crisis, but this government seems intent on ignoring it all and making ordinary people suffer in the name of profit. If there’s any chance we can show them that the people won’t stand for it, I want to take it. There’s more of us than there are of them, and we’re where their power comes from.
“I’m taking action for my future, the future of my loved ones, children I may one day have, and every person who has to suffer the consequences of the climate crisis now without ever having been involved in a single decision about it.”
Kevin Wing, 47, a dad of two from Glasgow said:
“My kids’ favourite book is the Lorax – they already understand what the Eton-educated government utterly fail to grasp: that oil extraction at all costs will destroy our only home. I am taking action for all the families in the global south already facing the effects of climate destruction, and for the future of my children’s generation.
“Rather than choosing to help desperate families during this energy crisis, the UK government is instead providing billions of pounds of tax breaks to the fossil fuel industry death machine. This is making a privileged elite richer at the expense of ordinary people having to choose whether they heat their homes or have food to eat. I am taking non-violent direct action to fight this horrendous inequality and the UK government’s war on the poor.”
Today’s actions follow a week of continuous disruption by supporters of Just Stop Oil in which a total of 250 people were arrested, including 45 yesterday. Since the campaign began on April 1st, there have been over 1500 arrests of Just Stop Oil supporters. [2]
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 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 south, 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.
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] There are now 7 Just Stop Oil supporters in prison on remand or serving sentences for taking action to demand that the government halts new oil and gas licences. They are Orla Murphy, Hannah Torrens Bright, Simon Milner-Edwards, Margaret Reid, Michelle Charlesworth, Joshua Smith and Louis McKechnie. Also in prison are Madelaine Budd for the ‘Captain Tom’ action, Scott Breen for taking action against the Southampton to Heathrow pipeline and Elliott Cuciurean for taking action against HS2.
