Just Stop Oil supporters have stopped traffic on Victoria Road in Westminster and sprayed soup over the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), while issuing an invitation to the Home Secretary for talks. They are demanding that the government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents. [1]
At just after 11.30am, about 12 Just Stop Oil supporters walked onto Victoria Road outside of BEIS, the government department responsible for allowing new fossil fuel extraction, and sat down in the road with banners. A number glued themselves to the tarmac while others locked themselves together. Shortly afterwards, a number of supporters covered the glass fronted building in soup, a reference to the fact that countless families in this country can not afford a tin of soup, and famine is rife across sub-saharan Africa.
Meanwhile, two Just Stop Oil supporters remain up the two 84m masts on the North side of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which has forced the police to close the bridge to traffic since early this morning. The two supporters climbed the bridge masts at 5am this morning. It is expected that the bridge will remain shut for at least 24 hours [2]
A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said:
“Just Stop Oil invites the Home Secretary Suella Braverman to come and meet with us and we will stop throwing soup.
“Join us on Thursday October 20th at 11am, in London, in public, to hear what is driving students, builders, engineers, care workers, vicars to throw soup at iconic paintings, to scale bridges, and to repeatedly, relentlessly block roads in the capital. We are ordinary people in nonviolent civil resistance in order to protect our rights, freedoms and our heritage. We seek to protect the lives and livelihoods of all humanity.”
Everyday outside Downing Street at 11am, Just Stop Oil has been welcoming new supporters and demanding that the government stops all new oil and gas.
Today’s actions follow over two weeks of continuous civil resistance by supporters of Just Stop Oil during which the police have made 458 arrests. On Sunday, there were 14 arrests of Just Stop Oil supporters, who blocked Park Lane and sprayed orange paint over the Aston Martin showroom. Since the campaign began on April 1st, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested over 1,750 times, with 5 supporters currently in prison. [3]
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. [4]
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. [5]
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] https://juststopoil.org/2022/10/17/day-17-just-stop-oil-supporters-defy-gravity-by-climbing-the-qe2-bridge-forcing-police-to-close-the-bridge/
[3] 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.
[4] Just Stop Oil made this statement in response to the Home Secretary: https://juststopoil.org/2022/10/16/a-response-to-home-secretary-suella-braverman/
[5] 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.
