Just Stop Oil supporters are continuing to disrupt traffic in Central London, slow-marching on major roads, on the third day of an indefinite campaign of civil resistance. The Just Stop Oil supporters are demanding an end to new fossil fuel projects in the UK. [1]
At 8:00am, 90 Just Stop Oil supporters began marching from five different locations around Westminster and Lambeth. This is the third day of action after Just Stop Oil brought disruption to key roads in the capital for the last two days. Today’s marches are being held in solidarity with nine Ugandan students who are facing their first day of a trial today in Kampala, Uganda. The students are facing trumped-up charges of Common Nuisance, for peacefully resisting the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
As well as bringing disruption to the heart of power in the UK today, the marches will visit the Ugandan Embassy in Trafalgar Square to highlight the injustice faced by these students and to express solidarity with all those taking action around the world, on the front line of the climate crisis. [2]
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
“EACOP- a joint project by Total Energies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, will enrich a handful of oil criminals, while generating more emissions than Uganda and Tanzania combined. Locally, 10,000 people have already been displaced without compensation to make way for the pipeline – which will also ravage local wildlife and water supplies.”
“In the face of this criminal act, Just Stop Oil stands in solidarity with the 9 students on trial today. Thanks to the bravery and persistence they and their supporters have shown, 24 banks and 22 insurers have already pulled out of the project. We have issued a crowdfunder and are holding a solidarity meeting, to further support our friends in Uganda, in their resistance to a criminal, oil-funded regime.” [3] [4] [5]
One of those taking action today, Mat Osmond, 57, a university lecturer from Falmouth said:
“To continue to extract and burn new fossil fuel deposits is to enact a global genocide, the likes of which we’ve never seen. All that is required for this unspeakable and avoidable horror to unfold, is for citizens to stand by and do nothing.”
“It’s up to all of us now to make our governments face reality and do the right thing. History has shown us over and over that this can be achieved. When all conventional means have failed us, only nonviolent civil resistance works. As long as we still can, we have to try. At this point it would be an obscenity not to.”
Since the Just Stop Oil campaign began on April 1st 2022, there have been over 2,100 arrests and 138 people have spent time in prison, many without trial. There are currently two Just Stop Oil supporters and five Insulate Britain supporters serving prison sentences for resisting new oil, gas and coal.
We stand with these political prisoners, with the 1,800 victims of our broken criminal justice system, imprisoned for over a year without trial, and with the 1,700 murdered across the global south, for protecting all our lives. This is the moment for us to come together and resist the destruction of everything we love, something that is being imposed on us by a few, who only seek to enrich themselves. [6][7]
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 Oil 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 is underway and will not end until our government ends new oil, gas and coal.
Join Just Stop Oil on a slow march from midday, every Saturday, at Parliament Square until we win.
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.banktrack.org/project/east_african_crude_oil_pipeline
[3] Crowdfunder: https://chuffed.org/project/0jeo6kkao43r
[4] Zoom call:
UK To Uganda: Students Vs. Oil
Find out more about the campaign at this zoom meeting.
May 4, 2023 07:00 PM London
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvd-GhrD0tHNxsKx0JXhpDBerCJMEhmIbL
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
[5] Fair Trials reports that the number of people being held in prison without trial in England and Wales is at its highest for over 50 years, with 1,800 people in prison without trial for at least a year.
[7] 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.
