Just Stop Oil supporters are continuing to march on their eighth week of daily action in the capital to demand that the UK Government halt all licences and consents for new oil, gas and coal projects. [1]
At around 8am, 28 Just stop Oil supporters in 2 groups began marching on roads around Victoria. Public Order Act (Section 12) notices were placed on both marches and the supporters were ordered off the road by 8:30am.
Just Stop Oil supporters have completed up to seven marches a day, six days a week since the 24th April – a total of 114 marches. Around 600 ordinary people from all over the UK have taken part. To date there have been 95 arrests and 40 people have been charged with failure to comply with s12 public order act conditions.
The cost of policing Just Stop Oil marches has been put at £4.5m – money that would be better spent on protecting the British public from the catastrophic effects of climate breakdown by leading a rapid transition away from deadly fossil fuels. The government has the power to stop this use of police time and resources immediately, by ending new oil, gas and coal. We cannot arrest our way out of the climate crisis.
One of those on the road this morning, Harry Milton, 26, a baker from Haringey, said:
“The level of disruption we are going to face when climate chaos really starts to kick in is nothing compared to slow marching in the road and throwing soup over protected paintings. Huge parts of the world are already experiencing massive disruption. The sky in New York is orange due to smoke. People are dropping dead in Asia due to unimaginable temperatures and humidity.”
“If this keeps getting worse we won’t be able to grow food. We cannot exist in a civilised society without a stable environment. Stopping new gas, oil and coal licensing is possibly the most crucial step to securing a liveable future for everyone.”
Another of those on the road this morning, Anne Taylor 74, a former teacher from Oxford, said:
“My fourth grandchild was born on 21st May. So gorgeous, so tiny and defenceless. She’s just weeks old now and I will do anything I can to help ensure a liveable future for her. As a former teacher, young people really matter to me. I will absolutely do what I can, nonviolently, to try to protect the future of my grandchildren, and all young people all over the world.”
“This government is breaking the law. We are trying to nonviolently uphold the law. There must be no new oil and gas or coal licences. This is a complete no brainer, if we are to ensure a safe future for our young people.”
Since the Just Stop Oil campaign launched on 14th February 2022, there have been 2,200 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 the UK’s 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. Ordinary people must come together to resist this criminal government and hold them to account for their genocidal policies. [2][3]
Just Stop Oil is calling on everyone to get off the sidelines and join in civil resistance against new oil, gas and coal.
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 makes a meaningful statement halting new fossil fuel projects in the UK.
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/
