Just Stop Oil supporters are coming to the end of their fifth week marching to the point of arrest. They are demanding that the UK government immediately halt all future licences and consents for fossil fuel exploration in the UK. [1]
At around 12:30 pm today, a group of seven Just Stop Oil supporters, including a group of medics, began marching on the pavement from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Square. The group entered the road at Parliament Square and all were arrested by 12:55 pm.
Just Stop Oil’s fundraiser is currently taking off, raising over £32,000 in the first 24 hours. From now until 10am on the 3rd of December, all donations to the fund will be doubled by a group of generous donors, including Chris Packham.
Chris Packham said:
“Alarm bells are ringing! Good! – the world’s leaders are sleep-walking to oblivion, it’s time they woke up to their responsibilities and found the sense and courage to actually lead us towards environmental stability and recovery.”
Just Stop Oil is primarily funded by small donations from members of the public. If you would like to donate to Just Stop Oil and have your contribution doubled, please donate here. [2]
One of those marching today is Dr Alan Heath, a life scientist. He said:
“I need to do this for my nieces and nephews, all young people and future generations.
The UN and all the world’s climate scientists say we are headed for disaster. There must be no new oil and gas. History has shown us time and again that civil disobedience is how normal people win necessary change.
Sir David Attenborough is warning us that collapse is on the horizon. Latest reports say this could be in less than 20 years time. We must act.”
Another of those marching today is Alice, a women’s health doctor from London, who said:
“I am marching in solidarity with the countless young people who have been arrested and imprisoned for being among the few people willing to tell the truth about the climate and ecological emergency.
The climate crisis is an escalating health crisis and our government seems content to sit back and watch hundreds of millions suffer and die rather than take appropriate action now.”
Also marching is Stephanie, who works as a nurse. She said:
“As a mother and a nurse, I have a moral and professional responsibility to now engage in nonviolent direct action to resist the inaction by our Government on the Climate Crisis. I must protect my children and patients so that’s why I am marching today.”
Just Stop Oil has issued an open call to the public and to all concerned parties to march together in defiance of this criminal government. This has been inspired by demonstrations in the Netherlands, where repeated road disruptions and continued pressure on the police, has forced the Dutch parliament to vote to end fossil fuel subsidies. [3]
There have been 667 arrests of Just Stop Oil supporters since October 30th. There are currently eight Just Stop Oil supporters in prison, six of whom have been imprisoned, without trial, for peacefully marching in the road. They are Cressie Gethin (21), Noah Crane (18), Ella Ward (20), Ruby Hamill (19), Chiara Sarti (24), and Phoebe Plummer (22). They join Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker, who have been imprisoned for over a year and were sentenced to 3 years and 2 years 7 months respectively, in the longest sentences ever awarded for peaceful direct action. Thirteen Just Stop Oil supporters are currently under electronic tag surveillance. [4][5][6][7]
Chiara Sarti has now been moved to HMP Wandsworth and yesterday spoke to a solicitor for the first time, since she was imprisoned on the 15th November. HMP Pentonville refused Chiara to contact her lawyer. Hodge Jones and Allen solicitors had been attempting to contact Chiara at HMP Bronzefield, assuming she has been sent to a women’s prison, however as Chiara is trans she has been sent to male prisons. As Chiara was unable to seek legal representation, she has not been able to receive legal support for a court appearance yesterday.
Continued expansion of new oil and gas will bring about the wholesale destruction of ordered society and an end to the rule of law. We are not prepared to watch while the government continues to serve the interests of a few, at the expense of everyone else. It’s up to all of us to come together and resist. It is the will of the overwhelming majority of people that we take the actions necessary to ensure our survival and together we can make it happen.
People are marching every day from Trafalgar Square at 12pm, to bring an end to new oil and gas. Our government is waging war on its people, and we’re fighting back. They’re the real criminals – imprisoning peaceful people for taking proportionate action to protect their communities, whilst licensing more than 100 new oil and gas projects, which will destroy everything we value. We’re coming together to demand an end to new oil and gas. It’s not a case of ‘if’ we will win; but ‘when’.
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://chuffed.org/project/104845-donations-doubled-until-sunday-just-stop-oil
[4] https://juststopoil.org/2023/11/16/we-wont-let-them-get-away-with-mass-murder-for-the-sake-of-greed/
[6] https://juststopoil.org/2023/11/20/a-week-in-resistance-with-cressie/
