Just Stop Oil supporters continued their campaign of peacefully marching in the streets of London, to the point of arrest. They are demanding the government immediately halt all new oil, gas, and coal projects in the UK. [1]
At 4pm this afternoon, 12 Just Stop Oil supporters from the Midlands and East of England began marching on Cambridge Heath Road in East London. Metropolitan Police arrived at around 4:29pm, with 13 vans and more than 50 officers. At 4:33pm they kettled and began arresting Just Stop Oil supporters. All 12 were detained for allegedly breaching Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023. Two people leafletting were also arrested, despite not entering the road, one of whom was attended by paramedics.
Today marked the third slow march this week. According to the Metropolitan Police, a total of 98 people were arrested on Monday and Wednesday and 54 were people charged. [2]
On Thursday, three Just Stop Oil supporters were remanded to prison for a month for taking part in a 10 minute march on Wednesday. At Westminster Magistrates court Sam Griffiths, 48, a father and designer from Walthamstow and Chrissy Kelly, 65, a retired social care worker were ordered to be detained until 30th November. At Bromley Magistrates Court, Merle Gering was also remanded until 30 November. A further 11 supporters were bailed from court on Thursday, of whom 4 were required to wear a GPS tag. [3]
Three Just Stop Oil supporters have been held in police custody since Wednesday and were seen at Stratford Magistrates today where they were released on bail.
One of those taking action this afternoon was Alistair Glasse, 63, an Astronomer and Instrument scientist from West Linton. Alistair has worked as project scientist at the UK Infrared Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and as a research assistant in the Infrared Space Observatory team at European Space Agency (ESA)/ European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. He said:
“After spending over 20 years helping to build the James Webb Space Telescope, I have seen scientific consensus repeatedly ignored, lied about and even ridiculed by popular media and government. This is now my only way to respond and protest their murderous criminality in allowing more hydrocarbon extraction. I implore every sane and thoughtful person to join us in this struggle for humanity’s future.”
Also marching today is Anne Taylor, 74, a former teacher from Leicester. She said:
“I am doing this for my grandchildren. They deserve a future, but this government is systematically destroying everything by licensing more oil fields. People are dying right now, 61,000 people died across Europe due to the extreme heat last year alone. Tens of thousands of Libyans washed out to sea. 7 have died in our own country in this last week due to extreme weather.”
“I cannot just sit back and allow this to happen. I will do all that I can to ensure the safety of my family and everyone else’s. The government is committing genocide. I will not sit by and allow this to happen. So I am taking action with Just Stop Oil and you should too.”
We are not prepared to watch while the government plans for millions to die and destroys everything we love. It’s up to all of us now to come together and resist. We cannot let them divide us. Together we can be the real opposition this country needs and we will win. We will stop new oil and gas.
From 20th November, Just Stop Oil is calling on everyone to join us at midday in Trafalgar Square to march in London until the government comes to its senses and ends new oil and gas.
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.
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://news.met.police.uk/news/further-charges-following-just-stop-oil-protests-in-london-474732
[3] “Prosecute the real climate criminals” : Three Just Stop Oil supporters remanded to prison for slow marching
” Prosecute the real climate criminals” : Three Just Stop Oil supporters remanded to prison for slow marching
