Just Stop Oil supporters disrupt Duke of Westminster’s wedding
Two Just Stop Oil supporters have disrupted the ‘society wedding of the year’ between the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson. The pair of Just Stop Oil supporters are taking action to demand an emergency plan to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030. [1]
At around 12:30 pm, two Just Stop Oil supporters used fire extinguishers to project powder paint near the entrance to Chester Cathedral, whilst billionaire aristocrat Hugh Grosvenor and his new wife Olivia Henson made their way towards a waiting luxury 8-Litre Bentley, after leaving their wedding service and standing for photos. Police quickly intervened and arrested the two ladies.
One of those taking action today is Polly, 73, a care worker from Norfolk, who said:
“Weddings are a time of coming together in celebration to make a commitment to the future. However, for countless millions around the world there is no future unless we come together to stop oil and gas. That’s why we are demanding that the next UK government work with other countries to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.”
Also taking action today is Sheila, 69, from Bristol, who worked as an NHS nurse for 50 years. She said:
“What do we value most? The wealth of billionaires like the Duke of Westminster OR the lives of the billions who are being destroyed by the fossil fuel industry? Extreme wealth and the climate crisis are both symptoms of a broken system that is not serving most ordinary people.”
“I am asking my fellow citizens to peacefully, but determinedly, demand an emergency plan to stop the drilling and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030. My grandchildren, all our children and all future generations’ lives are dependent on what we all do right now.”
Today’s action comes off the back of the hottest May on record, completing 12 months in a row that have set a new global temperature record for that time of year. The average temperature last month was 1.52C above the pre-industrial average, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Spiralling temperatures supercharged by fossil fuel burning, deforestation and animal agriculture are threatening to take the world past irreversible tipping points that will lead to vast swathes of the planet becoming uninhabitable, leading to mass displacement, famine and war. [2][3]
Hugh Grosvenor is number 14th on the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List and is the UK’s richest man under 40, with an estimated fortune of £10.1bn of inherited wealth. He inherited his father’s fortune despite not being the eldest of his siblings, as male heirs take precedence over their older sisters when it comes to inheriting an estate. The property company he inherited, the Grosvenor Group, owns about 300 acres of land in Mayfair and Belgravia in central London, as well as major city centre developments such as Liverpool’s ONE shopping centre and properties in the US and Canada. Today’s wedding is being billed as one of the most prestigious social events of the year and is attended by Prince William amongst other royals. [4]
This summer, Just Stop Oil supporters will be acting in solidarity with other groups internationally to defend our families and communities from the crimes of fossil capital and the political leaders who are facilitating the destruction of everything we care about. Sign up to take 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.
