An iconic statue of the Fab Four, in their hometown of Liverpool got the Just Stop Oil treatment today with placards and hi viz vests. Just Stop Oil is demanding that the UK government work with others to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030. [1]
At 8am today, Just Stop Oil supporters dressed the Beatles figures in high viz vests and added speech bubbles reading “Imagine there’s no oil” and “Hey Jude, let’s Just Stop Oil”.
This comes as people in France and Italy are cleaning up after the worst floods in over 40 years last weekend resulted in at least one death and scenes of devastation as houses and cars were washed away. This is just the latest in a long line of severe floods across Europe this summer. It has prompted alarm amongst insurance industry bosses who are calling for government support. Meanwhile lucky residents of one Dorset town will be able to access emergency raincoats when their houses get washed away by floods. [2][3][4]
The Beatles Statue was positioned on Liverpool’s Waterfront in December 2015, to coincide with the 50 year anniversary of the band’s last gig played in Liverpool at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. Donated by the famous Cavern Club and sculpted by Andrew Edwards, the figures are larger than life size and weigh 1.2 tonnes in total. [5]
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
“It’s been nearly 60 years since the Beatles last played in Liverpool and that’s about as long as Shell, Exxon and their captive politicians have known that burning more and more oil will lead to catastrophic warming. It is now clear that the collapse of human civilization and the death of millions if not billions of people means nothing to the psychopaths in charge.
“To Paul McCartney we say, yes individual efforts are needed and yes not eating meat will help but without a lead from governments we are fucked. If governments won’t stop oil we need to replace them or we all die. Let’s come together, imagine there’s no oil, then make it happen.”
“Politics is broken and we cannot rely on politicians to save us — not from poverty, not from the cost of living crisis, not from complete climate collapse. The Labour government doesn’t work for ordinary people, they work for corporations and billionaires, while supporting genocide in Gaza. It’s time to put this right. That’s why we’re calling on everyone to join us for a day of action on November 2nd.”
Join us in Parliament Square on Saturday November 2nd at 11:30am to take part in the Politics is Broken bloc at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s National Palestine March. As a prefigurative day of action we will be actively inviting and welcoming a large number of groups to come together – including the climate and nature movements, palestine solidarity, inequality and democracy movements to join forces and march on Parliament and join us after at the Umbrella Rally, Banquet, Peoples Assembly and After Party. Sign up here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/politics-is-broken-the-umbrella-march
We stand with our 24 supporters in prison, with the 1,800 victims of our 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. [6]
ENDS
Press contact: 07762 987334
Press email: juststopoilpress@protonmail.com
High quality images & video here: https://juststopoil.org/press-media
Website: https://juststopoil.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustStopOil/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/just.stopoil/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil
Youtube: https://juststopoil.org/youtube
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@juststopoil
Notes to Editors
[1] Just Stop Oil is a member of the A22 Network of civil resistance projects.
Critical seed funding for Just Stop Oil was provided by Climate Emergency Fund and Adam McKay in 2022 and 2023. Just Stop Oil is now largely backed by small donations from the public, although the Climate Emergency Fund continues to contribute.
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.
We take all possible steps to ensure that no-one’s safety is compromised by our actions.
Our Demand: An end to oil, gas and coal by 2030.
Our governments must work together to establish a legally binding treaty to stop extracting and burning oil, gas and coal by 2030 as well as supporting and financing poorer countries to make a fast, fair, and just transition.
This can be accomplished by endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative and seeking a negotiating mandate to establish the treaty.
[4] https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/dorset-town-still-undefeated-uks-33955178
[5] https://www.visitliverpool.com/listing/the-beatles-statue/39742101/
[6] Serving sentences: Larch Maxey, Joe Howlett, Christopher Bennet, Samuel Johnson, George Simonson, Gaie Delap, Theresa Higginson, Cressida Gethin, Roger Hallam, Lou Lancaster, Daniel Shaw, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, Phoebe Plummer, Anna Holland.
On remand: Daniel Knorr, Noah Crane, Ella Ward, Margaret Reid, Indigo Rumbelow, Rosa Hicks, Rory Wilson, Adam Beard, Luke Watson, Luke Elson.
How to write to Just Stop Oil supporters in prison: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GUa6RdJMsFN-uDa03jfleJTVFL86DIfBilVVF6f3E4U/edit
