Just Stop Oil supporters have climbed onto motorway gantries around the M25 as part of their campaign to demand that the government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents [1]
From 6:30 this morning, supporters of Just Stop Oil climbed onto the overhead gantries of the M25 in multiple locations, both clockwise and anti-clockwise causing police to halt traffic. They have been joined by supporters of Animal Rebellion to disrupt traffic on London’s orbital motorway. [2]
Phoebe Plummer, 21, a student from London said:
“As a young person the only future I see before me is one of mass famine, severe droughts, wildfires, floods and societal collapse. I understand people must be frustrated with us, and rightly so, but we have to disrupt daily life because we are hurtling towards climate catastrophe, yet the government continues to betray me, my generation and people in the global South by issuing new oil licenses.”
Tez Burns, 34, a bicycle mechanic from Swansea said:
“We need an emergency response to the climate crisis and the cost of living crisis right now – insulate our homes, nationalise and subsidise public transport, invest in renewable energy. Stop paying us lip service and do something meaningful: stop issuing new fossil fuel licenses now.”
Yesterday, 11 supporters of Just Stop Oil climbed gantries on the M25 and disrupted traffic on the M25 at 11 locations.[3]
Today’s action follows four weeks of daily disruption and civil resistance by supporters of Just Stop Oil during which the police have made over 700 arrests, including 11 on Wednesday. Since the campaign began on April 1st, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested over 2,000 times, with 20 supporters currently in prison.[4]
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 all our lives. [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.
[3] https://juststopoil.org/2022/11/09/just-stop-oil-supporters-return-for-a-third-day-stopping-traffic-on-the-m25-in-multiple-locations/
[4] There are now 20 Just Stop Oil supporters in prison on remand or serving sentances for taking action to demand that the government halts new oil and gas licences. They include Alfie Beswick, Lucia De Abreu Whittaker, Molly Berry, Alexander Wilcox, Callum Goode, Catherine Rennie-Nash, Christopher White, Daniel Shaw, Ian Bates, Kerin Matthews, Roger Hallam, Tim Hewes, Jan Goodey, Louise Harris, Joshua Smith, Louis McKechnie, Michelle Charlesworth, Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker. There are also 3 Belgian supporters of Just Stop Oil currently in a Dutch prison for gluing to a painting and Elliott Cuciurean is also in prison for taking action against HS2.
[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.
