Just Stop Oil supporters are wrapping up 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, 42 Just Stop Oil supporters, in four groups, began marching on roads in the City, South and West London. Two of the marches were “mini marches” of three or four people. One of the mini marches was cleared off the road by police after only 5 minutes. All the marches finished by 9am, further marches are expected later this morning.
One of those on the road this morning, Jessica Upton, 53, a veterinary surgeon, foster carer and mum of two, from Oxfordshire said:
“I’m a vet, foster carer and mum. I do not stop caring in my time off, so I’m in the road to get our government’s attention. They need to step up and do what’s right and stop issuing any new fossil fuel licences. The United Nations agrees with me on this!”
“I’m on the road and I’m frightened, but it beats being at home doing nothing. The solutions ARE out there to ensure jobs, clean energy and prosperity for all, but our corrupt government seems to be blind to them.”
Another of those on the road this morning, Maggie Lippiett, 72, Retired palliative care nurse from Cambridge, said:
“I am deeply concerned about the climate crisis and I have found that other ways of expressing concern fall on deaf ears. I have three children and six grandchildren and I need to be accountable to them. I am not prepared to stand aside and do nothing. I feel a deep responsibility to influence power to stop issuing new licences for gas and oil exploration. Making lifestyle changes has not been enough.”
Whilst the UK government is subsidising the fossil fuel industry to the tune of 230 million pounds a week, and creating tax incentives to encourage new oil and gas projects; new polling has found that 54% of Britons prefer tax cuts to be focused on renewables, compared to only 15% who think they should be given to oil and gas companies. [2][3][4]
This is whilst the industry is reporting record profits, due to hikes in the price of wholesale oil and gas on the international market. The government has also effectively banned onshore wind, through complicated planning regulations, despite lifting a moratorium on wind farms. It was reported that the Conservative party accepted 3.5 million pounds in donations from polluters, fossil fuel interests and science deniers in 2022. [5][6][7]
Just Stop Oil supporters have completed up to seven marches a day, six days a week since the 24th April – a total of 134 marches. Around 600 ordinary people from all over the UK have taken part. To date there have been over 100 arrests and 40 people have been charged with failure to comply with Public Order Act (section 12) conditions.
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. [8][9]
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]https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/energy/paid-pollute-fossil-fuel-subsidies-uk-what-you-need-know
[3] https://neweconomics.org/2021/11/ffs
[8] 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/
[9] 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/