Just Stop Oil supporters have covered Parliament Square’s Gandhi Statue in salt, and dressed the figure in a high-vis shawl. 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 9:30 am today, two Just Stop Oil supporters dressed the figure of Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian anti-colonial nationalist, who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule, in a high vis shawl and proceeded to cover the statue in salt, referencing the salt march Gandhi led, which was a pivotal moment in the Indian independence movement. [2]
One of those taking action today is Casper Horton-Kitchlew, 32, from Hackney, who is the Great Great Nephew of Saifuddin Kitchlew, an Indian independence activist who spent time in prison with Ghandi. [3]
Casper said:
“Our government is pouring salt on Gandhi’s legacy. There are 40 political prisoners in the UK right now, including 24 jailed for Gandhian, nonviolent direct action in support of Just Stop Oil. The doublethink that allows the British state to both venerate past resistance and imprison those demanding change today is the same as their acknowledging the climate crisis, but continuing to burn oil and gas.”
“My great great uncle, Saifuddin Kitchlew was imprisoned with Gandhi in 1919. The British massacred those protesting for his release at Amritsar. Lives are at risk again, as innocent people in south and eastern Spain become the latest victims of oil and gas. I have no doubt both Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew would approve of those organising and resisting the governments allowing the continued burning of fossil fuels.”
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
“In 1947 the Indian Independence movement achieved an end to British Rule, something that was previously considered unthinkable. This was achieved through mass civil disobedience. In 2024, we must also achieve the unthinkable and bring an end to the oil and gas era, before it ends us.”
“This week we have a government producing a ‘business as usual’ budget, prioritising the profits of corporations and billionaires, whilst betting on unicorn technologies like ‘carbon capture’ to avert catastrophe. Meanwhile, 158 bodies and counting have been dragged from the mud in flash floods in Spain. How bad does it have to get before the UK government gets on with the job of protecting the people they are supposed to serve?”
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.
Join us after at the Umbrella Rally, Supper, People’s Assembly and After Party. Sign up here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/politics-is-broken-the-umbrella-march
Book tickets for the Assembly, Food and After Party here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/politics-is-broken-peoples-assembly-after-party-tickets-1037794269597
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. [4]
ENDS
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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.
[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_March
[3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saifuddin_Kitchlew
[4] 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
