Just Stop Oil supporters are commencing week nine 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, 45 Just Stop Oil supporters, in three groups, began marching on roads in Stratford and Ealing. Police issued S12 notices bringing all the marches to a close by 8:45am. Further marches are expected to take place later this morning.
One of those on the road this morning, Arran Allison, 49, a woodworker and father of three, said:
“I’m forced to take this action as the government is determined not to listen to other forms of appeal. I worry so much about what the future holds for my children.”
“I cannot stand by and watch the government continue on this high carbon path of licensing over 100 new fossil fuel projects, despite them being branded ‘hypocrites’ by their own Tory peer, who chairs their Climate Change Committee. We know disruptive civil resistance works, so that’s why I’m on the road this morning and you should be too.”
Another of those on the road this morning, Rosie Moran, 65, a former social worker from Tunbridge Wells, said:
“It’s time to pick a side – staying neutral will only advantage the government who are failing to undertake their primary task of protecting the people and safeguarding the future of our children and grandchildren.”
“I don’t want to be doing this – I would rather be playing with my grandson than disrupting people’s journeys but ordinary people coming together is one of the most powerful tools we have to achieve change as history has shown. We cannot achieve the level of change needed by individual action – recycling, lifestyle changes, being ethical shoppers – we have to have government action and we have to have it now.”
This morning’s marches come as scientists confirmed disturbing news that the world breached – for a time – the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold this month, as they issued warnings on how fast humanity is approaching the critical warming limit set by the Paris Agreement. The first 11 days of June were the hottest on record for this time of year, the European earth observation programme, Copernicus, reported. It isn’t the first time that the world has hit 1.5C; but it’s evidence that warming is increasing as countries break their pledges to cut emissions – taking us to “point of no return”, according to scientists. [2]
Just Stop Oil supporters have completed up to seven marches a day, six days a week since the 24th April. Over 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. Just Stop Oil supporters Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker are 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. Thousands are dying every year from unnatural temperatures and extreme weather events, and this will soon rise to millions. Ordinary people must come together to resist this criminal government and hold them to account for their genocidal policies. [3][4]
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://sg.news.yahoo.com/nowhere-earth-escape-world-breached-150710261.html
[3] 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/
[4] 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/
