Just after 12pm, 29 supporters of Just Stop Oil disrupted traffic in Shoreditch on the fifteenth day of action during October. They are demanding that the government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents. [1]
Supporters established a roadblock on Shoreditch High Street at the junction of Great Eastern Street, by sitting in the road with banners and gluing themselves to the tarmac.
A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said:
Yesterday Just Stop Oil supporters threw soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers on display in the National Gallery and paint over the Metropolitan Police’s iconic New Scotland Yard sign. We accept that both these actions have upset and provoked many people, as will the disruption caused by today’s road block.
But our art, culture and the rule of law is threatened. Our heritage, rights and freedoms are being destroyed by our government’s lies and the failure of politics, and right now millions of people are facing this brutal impact of climate change. Yet our government is seeking to expand fossil fuel production
Ending new oil and gas is a no-brainer first step to ending the harm, the Government can at least end the disruption on the streets tomorrow, by announcing this policy. They have changed their mind on everything else.“
Just Stop Oil supporters have been making their demands known outside Downing Street every day in October from 11am.
Today’s actions follow two weeks of continuous disruption by supporters of Just Stop Oil in which they have experienced over 403 arrests. On Friday, there were 28 arrests of Just Stop Oil supporters, who blocked roads outside New Scotland Yard and spray painted the sign as well as two young women who threw soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. Since the campaign began on April 1st, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested over 1,700 times, with 5 currently in prison. [2]
This is not a one day event, expect us every day and anywhere. 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 1,700 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. [3]
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. Just Stop Oil is a member of the A22 Network of civil resistance projects. Climate Emergency Fund is Just Stop Oil’s primary funder for recruitment, training, and capacity building.
[2] There are now 5 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 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.
[3] A recent report from Global Witness says that more than 1,700 people have died while trying to prevent mining, oil drilling or logging on their lands.
