Just Stop Oil supporters returned to march on central London’s roads this morning completing their third week of an indefinite campaign to demand an end to new fossil fuel projects in the UK. [1]
At 8 am, around 22 Just Stop Oil supporters began marching down Cromwell Road. After 20 minutes they were joined by around 20 police officers who briefly formed a corden across the road, before surrounding the marchers and escorting them along the road. At 9:04 a Public Order Act (Section 12) notice was imposed, ordering the supporters off the road. No arrests have been made, though further marches are expected later this morning.
Yesterday 13 Just Stop Oil supporters were arrested for peacefully marching outside the houses of parliament, they have been charged with breaching the Public Order Act (Section 12). They were held in police custody for up to 19 hours before being released in the early morning. Yesterday’s events came in the wake of an apparent blanket ‘Section 12’ notice being placed on the entirety of London’s roads on Wednesday, banning peaceful processions.
One of those taking action this morning, Paul Barnes, 43, a father of two from Derbyshire, said:
“I will continue to do all I can to protect my loved ones. I hear my children talk about what they want to be when they grow up, so I am taking action now to protect them, before it’s too late.”
“The politicians and corporate media spread lies and propaganda to serve corporate interests. This is whilst ordinary people prop up what’s left of this country as wages, public services and our rights are stripped away.”
“Our government needs to follow the scientific warnings.. that’s my family, your children and our grandchildren, not having food to survive, as crops fail due to climate breakdown. We must end the fossil fuel era. It must be now, or we will have no way back to fix the damage we’ve done and are doing.”
Another of those taking action today, Caroline Cattermole, 70, a cancer patient support worker and birdwatcher, said:
“I have seen first-hand the dramatic reduction in wildlife brought about through ecological destruction and climate collapse. We have lost 70% of birds in the UK in the last three decades. Humanity has wiped out 60% of all animal populations since 1970. Our survival depends on the natural world in ways that we don’t always notice. It breaks my heart.”
“We risk famine, starvation and societal collapse as a result of crop failure, brought about by extreme weather events. We’ve lost our resilience through soil degradation, overuse of chemical pesticides and intensive agriculture. We have to stop new fossil fuels now.”
On Saturday Just Stop Oil supporters will be marching at 12pm from Parliament Square, then will join the protest march and rally for Palestine, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Muslim Association of Britain and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
A Just Stop Oil Spokesperson said:
“This government is engaged in a wholesale assault on our human rights: migrants rights, workers rights, protest rights – nothing is sacred. The Public Order Act has criminalised peaceful dissent.”
“Just Stop Oil will march in solidarity with all people affected by this authoritarian assault on our democratic right to protest. Meet us at Parliament Square at 12pm on Saturday.”
Since the Just Stop Oil campaign launched on 14th February 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 serving three year 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 care about, something that is being imposed on us by a few, who only seek to enrich themselves. [2][3]
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. We need everyone to get off the sidelines and join in civil resistance against new oil and gas.
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 at 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.
Just Stop Oil ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been, to move out of the way for emergency vehicles with siren sounding and ‘blue lights’ on.
[2] 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. https://www.fairtrials.org/articles/news/highest-number-of-people-on-remand-in-england-and-wales-for-over-50-years/
[3] 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. https://www.globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/deadly-decade-land-and-environmental-activists-killing-every-two-days/
