Just Stop Oil supporters are slow marching on the streets of central London to demand that the UK Government halts all licences and consents for new oil, gas and coal projects. [1]
At around 4:50 pm, 26 Just Stop Oil supporters began marching on Queen Victoria Street, near Mansion House tube station. They continued for around 25 minutes on key roads through the City, before police issued a S12 notice bringing the march to a close by 5:15 pm.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
“What is happening in this country is outrageous. As the world hovers over the dangerous 1.5 degree warming threshold, our corrupt government is too busy arguing about lockdown parties to care that they are shuffling our children into the furnaces.”
“Meanwhile, we have a spineless leader of the ‘opposition’ already rolling back on promises to halt new oil and gas projects, before anyone’s even gone near a voting booth. Democracy has failed; overthrown by oil companies and corporate interests. Our leaders are on course to murder hundreds of millions of people, because they need yet another new yacht. Civil resistance is our only option to sort this out. Sign up to march at juststopoil.org.”
One of those on the road this afternoon, Nicola, 58, a charity manager and mother of two, from Brighton said:
“I’m feeling so scared for my childrens’ future. For my own peace of mind I need to take action with Just Stop Oil. The world’s top scientists are all telling us we need urgent action to stop the worst effects of climate breakdown.”
“I can’t stand by and do nothing. I’m taking action with Just Stop Oil because I’m so scared about the future my children and all young people face, if we don’t move urgently to slow this crisis. Governments need to act on the alarms that are sounding. It’s an emergency and needs to be treated as one immediately.”
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. [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/
