Supporters of Just Stop Oil staged ‘go slow’ marches in Leeds and Coventry today, while warning that they will bring the marches back to London from April 24th. They are demanding that the government stops all new UK oil and gas projects [1]
At around 11:30 am, 30 Just Stop Oil supporters marched down Clay Pit Lane, one of Leeds’ busiest roads towards the City Centre, holding banners and chanting “Just Stop Oil”.
Two Just Stop Oil supporters were arrested when, at the end of the march, they sprayed Barclays Bank in Albion Street in orange paint, demanding an end to fossil fuel lending by banks. Barclays is Europe’s largest fossil fuel financier, providing over $166bn of funding since 2015. [2]
In Coventry, 28 Just Stop Oil supporters are gathering at the Godiva Statue, Broadgate before setting off to slow march along the city’s roads.
Lucy Timmin, 44 from Leeds said:
“Barclays continues to fund new oil and gas projects when other major UK banks have refused to. The corporation is knowingly and willingly funding the genocide of millions of people in the Global South who will be killed over the next decade by climate breakdown”.
Today’s action follows marches in Bristol, Lancaster and Ipswich amongst others in recent weeks and comes despite the Prime Minister’s threat to crack down on the ‘go slow’ marches. [3]
Sam Holland, 20, a student from Leeds who attended the march, said
“We’re causing disruption today to force attention towards our government’s genocidal policies. If we weren’t out today, everything would move along as normal, and we’re one step closer to British crops failing, hundreds of millions of climate refugees, global economic meltdown… someone has to say NO. They are not going to stop unless we force them. That’s why we’re asking everyone to join us in civil resistance in London from 24 April. ”
Victoria Lindsell, 67, an English language teacher from Leamington attending the Coventry march said:
“I have seen successive governments put profit before the lives of ordinary people. Many of us have been aware for some time of the disastrous consequences of unlimited growth in fossil fuel emissions and our blindly insane consumption of fossil fuel energy. This, together with the cost of living crisis is the reason that I joined Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil.
“I hope our peaceful, non violent march today will empower the people to join us, to protect people’s lives now and the future of our youth and children to come. New oil and gas is an act of genocide, it’s planning the deaths of millions, billions of people. Will you be complicit in these deaths? It’s time to pick a side, I’m not going to wait when my future, the future of those I love is destroyed. ”
The marches follow the government’s announcement that it plans to launch its revamped Net Zero Strategy in Aberdeen, the oil capital of the UK, next week. It is expected that it will contain major sops to the UK’s fossil fuel industries including boosting carbon capture and storage and hydrogen and will miss out on key measures to limit emissions. [4]
The government is also due to make a decision on the Rosebank oil field. It would be the largest offshore oil field in the North Sea, and would generate more CO2 emissions than the 28 lowest-income-nations combined. In all, the government plans to issue up to 100 new North Sea oil and gas licences – a move which is facing a legal challenge by campaign groups. [5].
Climate scientists have warned that the granting of new fossil fuel licences is incompatible with staying within 1.5C of global warming – a temperature increase widely understood to be disastrous for humanity [6]
Speaking at the launch of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report on Monday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said [7]:
“This report is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe. In short, our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.”
He went on to call for all countries to commit to:
“Ceasing all licensing or funding of new oil and gas – consistent with the findings of the International Energy Agency.”
In moments of emergency, we must stand up and be brave, we must stand up for good over evil, life over death, right over wrong. Just Stop all is calling on everyone to pick a side. Either you are actively supporting civil resistance fighting for life or you are complicit with genocide. The time is now. Join us and slow march while you still can. Our indefinite campaign of civil resistance begins on April 24th and will not end until our government ends new oil and gas
Visit our website to join us in civil resistance to Just Stop Oil. [8]
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] The 2022 Banking on Climate Chaos report showed that Barclays provided US$166.74 billion in financing to the fossil fuel industry between 2016 and 2021. https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org//wp-content/themes/bocc-2021/inc/bcc-data-2022/BOCC_2022_vSPREAD.pdf
[5] Government faces legal challenges over its plans to award 130 new UK oil and gas licences and its approval of a new coal mine: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/12/uk-ministers-face-legal-challenge-over-north-sea-oil-and-gas-licences
[6] New fossil fuels incompatible with 1.5C warming: https://www.carbonbrief.org/new-fossil-fuels-incompatible-with-1-5c-goal-comprehensive-analysis-finds/.
[7] https://press.un.org/en/2023/sgsm21730.doc.htm
[8] Sign up to join Just Stop Oil supporters on a slow march this Spring: https://juststopoil.org/
