Just Stop Oil supporters have stopped traffic at a key road junction near Holborn tube station to demand that the government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents. [1]
At 10:50am today, 22 Just Stop Oil supporters walked into the road at the junction of High Holborn and Kingsway and disrupted traffic by sitting in the road with banners. Some supporters glued onto the tarmac.
Patrick Walker, 33 a council worker from Newport, said:
“Up until very recently I really thought the government would eventually take action to save us from the worst of the climate crisis. Then the IPCC warned us last year that we had to stop new fossil fuel extraction if we wanted a liveable future, only for governments to completely ignore them. I realised then the government wouldn’t listen and I had to take action if I wanted a future for my family. I have no choice but to resist.”
Adam Beard, 53, a gardener from Stroud said:
“I’m taking action with Just Stop Oil because I’ve had enough of government lies and inaction on the climate crisis, the biggest issue the world is currently facing. All over the world we can see the effects of the climate crisis, yet our government continues to back new fossil fuel extraction. For the sake of humanity and all life on earth, this has to stop. I hope that my actions in support of Just Stop Oil will inspire other ordinary people like me to step forward and take a stand against this government’s disastrous energy policies.“
Just Stop Oil continues to peacefully resist the government’s plans to licence over 100 new oil and gas projects by 2025, and its failure to fulfil its promise to help people with their skyrocketing energy bills. These policy failures will cause misery for millions. Almost 8 million households are expected to fall into fuel poverty by April 1st 2023. [2]
Today’s roadblock follows over two weeks of continuous civil resistance by supporters of Just Stop Oil during which the police have made 539 arrests, including 19 on Thursday. Since the campaign began on April 1st, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested over 1,800 times, with 7 supporters currently in prison and 13 in police custody. [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 all our lives. 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://www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk/news/
[3] 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 Joshua Smith, Louis McKechnie, Simon Milner-Edwards, Margaret Reid, Michelle Charlesworth, Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker. A further 13 Just Stop Oil supporters who obstructed the highway on Thursday have been kept in custody pending their appearance in court. 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] 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.
