Over the past 48 hours, two Just Stop Oil supporters have been unexpectedly held by the police for conspiracy to commit burglary. [1]
Rosa Hicks, 29, from London, was walking home from a community event in Camden at around 9pm last night when a Metropolitan Police vehicle pulled up and she was forced into the van by six officers. She is still being held at Islington Police Station. [2]
On Tuesday, Reverend Mark Coleman was arrested outside his home in Rochdale at around 5:15pm by plainclothes officers, and taken to Bury custody suite. At 9:26pm that day, PC Jonathan Fryer and Detective Constable Philip O’Connor from the Public Order Crime Unit at Lambeth interviewed Reverend Coleman. They described intelligence that they had gained from reading a Daily Mail article which claimed that Just Stop Oil supporters planned to occupy the homes and offices of MPs. They questioned him about his political activities. Reverend Coleman has made the following comment: [3]
“Their line of questioning went like this: ‘Who are the other members of Just Stop Oil involved – is one of them Phoebe? Why did you stand for election in Rochdale? What does “occupy” mean? Do you intend to occupy? Does anyone intend to occupy? Do you intend to cause damage? Do you intend to intimidate? What types of criminal damage are you intending?’”
“‘How did you do at the election? What agenda did you have for standing? What would you do had you won? Did you run on a no new oil ticket? What else were you going to do? Would you sit in a politician’s office? Would you occupy the Palace of Westminster legitimately and then illegitimately protest? Do you believe that this is democracy in action? Do you know that several members of Parliament have been killed? What do you think is a reasonable or likely outcome for MPs? Do you think that activities leading to the death of MPs is a reasonable strategy for JSO?’”
“They said my bail conditions would prevent me attending the homes and offices of MPs or parliamentary candidates. A clerical error means my bail conditions only restrict me from attending their homes – which is not something I have ever done. But being instructed not to go to MPs offices or the offices of those standing for parliament rather excludes me from the democratic processes. It was a privilege to stand for parliament in the recent by-election. I have committed no crime – why am I being excluded from playing a part in the normal political life of the place where I live?”
On the morning of March 6th, Just Stop Oil supporter Phoebe Plummer, 22, was arrested by plainclothes officers in Vauxhall for ‘conspiracy to commit burglary.’ She was interviewed and held for a short time at Walworth Custody Suite before being released later that day. On March 14th, she and Rosa Hicks delivered a letter to the home of Emily Thornberry. The pair asked the police officer stationed outside: “We’re here to post a letter, is that OK?”, to which the police officer replied: “You can post the letter, yeah, I can’t stop you from posting a letter”. Afterwards Phoebe was arrested again, for breach of bail conditions she was given on March 6th. [4]
Last month, UN Special Rapporteur Michael Forst remarked:
“The repression that environmental activists who use peaceful civil disobedience are currently facing in Europe is a major threat to democracy and human rights.”
As the world passes tipping points that threaten the breakdown of ordered civilization, our politicians, captured by the interests of oil lobbyists and big business, are failing to protect our communities. Until we stop Tory oil, supporters of Just Stop Oil will continue taking proportionate action to demand necessary change. Sign up for action at juststopoil.org.
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://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1770580001584279795
[4] https://juststopoil.org/2024/03/14/just-stop-oil-supporter-arrested-after-delivering-letter-to-emily-thornberry/
