Just Stop Oil descend on Downing Street only to be swiftly moved on by police… as they begin 32nd day of protests in a row after month of chaos in October
- Just Stop Oil activists have been seen at Whitehall and Downing Street in London
- Eco-group yesterday finished their 31st day of protesting during month of action
- It comes after activists yesterday sprayed Government buildings in orange paint
Just Stop Oil activists have returned to the streets of central London – despite their month of action coming to an end.
Protesters from the eco-group are currently attempting to block Whitehall, near to the Cenotaph, while others have been seen being stopped by police near Downing Street.
Pictures show police attempting to remove the protesters as they unfurl a Just Stop Oil banner.
It comes after the group’s month of action came to an end – making today’s protest day 32.
The eco-warriors had promised to take part in protests every day in October with the aim of convincing the Government to stop granting permission for new oil and gas sites.
Yesterday, activists from the group targeted the Home Office by spraying yellow paint against the front of its headquarters.
Just Stop Oil activists have returned to the streets of central London – despite their month of action coming to an end
Others from the eco-group have been seen being stopped by police near Downing Street
Protesters from the eco-group are currently attempting to block Whitehall, near to the Cenotaph
Pictures show police attempting to remove the protesters as they unfurl a Just Stop Oil banner
It comes after the group’s month of action came to an end. The eco-warriors had promised to take part in protests every day in October with the aim of convincing the Government to stop granting permission for new oil and gas sites
Police appear to detain a Just Stop Oil activist near Downing Street on day 32 of action from the eco-group
Police appear to detain and lead away Just Stop Oil activists near to Downing Street, central London, today
It comes after a member of the public yesterday defied police calls to not ‘directly intervene’ with Just Stop Oil activist.
More than 180 eco-zealots are served with injunctions after month of Just Stop Oil chaos
A High Court judge has ordered more than 180 eco zealots not to block roads in London following the intensification of Just Stop Oil protests after the coalition launched a month of chaos.
The eco mob has caused mayhem this October as it staged protests across London including blocking bridges, roads, roundabouts, as well as carrying out stunts including throwing soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting and spraying orange paint over car showrooms, department stores and government buildings.
Mr Justice Freedman granted injunctions at a High Court hearing in London after an application by Transport for London (TfL), which said protests were a ‘risk to life’.
Another judge had recently made an order against 62 named people. Mr Justice Freedman continued that injunction and made an order against a further 121 named people, bringing the total to 183.
He was told that the names of those 121 people had been given to TfL by the Metropolitan Police after they had been arrested at protests. The judge also made an order against ‘persons unknown’.
Mr Justice Freedman delivered a ruling on Monday after considering evidence at a hearing on Thursday.
Lawyers representing TfL had told him that since the start of October ‘protest activity’ had ‘very largely focused’ on London roads.
They said the ‘deliberate blocking’ of roads caused serious disruption and created a ‘risk to life’.
The frustrated passer-by was seen tackling a protester as they sprayed orange paint across a building using a fire extinguisher.
Video captured the moment the furious passer-by jostled with the climate activist for control of the device and sprayed them with paint as they doused the front of the MI5 building on Millbank in Westminster.
Tez Burns, a 34-year-old bicycle mechanic from Swansea, could be heard saying ‘I don’t want to do this’ but added that their ‘simple’ demand was for ‘no new fossil fuel licenses’ in an expletive-laden exchange with the passer-by this morning.
After the incident, Burns said: ‘The government has taken our future, I want our future back. It’s criminal inaction.
‘The government does nothing. What does it do? It issues new fossil fuel licenses, it says we need to drain every last drop of oil out of the North Sea.
‘That goes against everything that all of these internationally respected bodies are telling us.’
They continued: ‘Here I am, an ordinary person having to do this. You think I like it? No, this is something that I feel is a duty that I have to do as a citizen of the UK, when our government is criminal. I’m devastated. I’m furious.’
It comes despite police last week pleading with the public to call them to deal with eco-protesters instead of taking matters into their own hands.
So far six eco-activists have been arrested for criminal damage after using fire extinguishers to douse paint on the Home Office and MI5 building, the Bank of England on Threadneedle Street in the City of London and the headquarters of News Corp at London Bridge.
The MI5 building was one of four chosen by the group that they say represent the pillars that support and maintain the power of the fossil fuel economy – government, security, finance and media.
Later, activists sat in the middle of the road on Victoria Street outside the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Three people were arrested on suspicion of obstruction of the highway and taken ito custody at a central London police station, with the road re-opening soon after.
The eco group staged 31 days of protests across London and the south-east of England as it calls on the government to halt all new oil and gas licences and consents.
Video captured the moment the furious passer-by jostled with the climate activist for control of the device and sprayed them with paint as they doused the front of the MI5 building on Marsham Street in Westminster
This is the moment a passerby intervened with a paint-wielding protester vandalised the MI5 building on Millbank on Monday morning
Speaking about yesterday’s protest, a Just Stop Oil spokesman said: ‘We are not prepared to stand by and watch while everything we love is destroyed, while vulnerable people go hungry and fossil fuel companies and the rich profit from our misery.
‘The era of fossil fuels should be long gone, but the creeping tentacles of fossil fuel interests continue to corrupt our politics, government and the media as they have for decades.
‘How else do you explain a government ignoring sensible no-brainer policies like renewables, insulation and public transport, which would cut our energy bills and our carbon emissions, in favour of corrupt schemes to drill for uneconomic oil and gas at taxpayers expense?
‘Well we’re done with begging. We are acting to stop new oil and gas because it is the right thing to do. As citizens, as parents we have every right under British law to protect ourselves and those we love.
‘The government has the power to end the disruption today by agreeing to stop new oil and gas licences and consents.’
The headquarters of News Corp – which owns publications including The Sun, The Times and TalkTV – in London Bridge was also targeted by the group. It is the second time the building has been vandalised this year by eco activists
A Just Stop Oil eco-zealot was seen dousing the Home Office in orange spray this morning on day 31 of protests by the group
The Bank of England on Threadneedle Street in the City of London was also targeted on the group’s final day of mayhem
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement about yesterday’s protests: ‘Six people have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage following protest activity on Monday, 31 October.
‘At around 08:20hrs, Thames House in Millbank was sprayed with paint. Officers responded and made one arrest for criminal damage at 08:45hrs.
‘At around 08:29hrs, the News UK building in London Bridge Street was sprayed with paint. Officers responded and made one arrest for criminal damage at 08:46hrs.
‘At around 08:39hrs, two people sprayed the Home Office in Marsham Street with paint. They were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage by Met officers at 08:41hrs.
‘All those arrested have been taken into custody at a central London police station.
‘City of London Police officers have arrested a further two people who sprayed the Bank of England in Threadneedle Street at around 08:30hrs.’
Just Stop Oil’s Calendar of CHAOS: From throwing soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers to scaling the QE2 Bridge, how eco activists demonstrated throughout October
October 1 – Activists occupied Waterloo, Westminster, Lambeth and Vauxhall bridges, causing gridlock on busy roads, before converging on Parliament.
October 2 – Hundred of protesters occupied London bridges as they brought the capital to a standstill for a second day, with 31 people arrested.
October 3 – Monday saw a much quieter day with no major demonstrations but Just Stop Oil released a statement in which it declared Westminster ‘a site of nonviolent civil resistance until the government commits to end new oil and gas’.
October 4 – 54 eco-activists were arrested, including many who had ‘glued themselves to the ground’ during a demonstration to block traffic into Parliament Square.
October 5 – 28 protesters were arrested when they blocked and glued themselves to the road to Lambeth Bridge and another close to Parliament.
October 6 – Protesters blocked roads in Trafalgar Square, with 32 demonstrators sitting down and gluing themselves to the tarmac before being removed and arrested for wilful obstruction of the highway.
October 7 – 25 demonstrators blocked routes to the north and south of Vauxhall Bridge, sitting down with banners and glueing themselves to the roads.
October 8 – Around 40 supporters established roadblocks on three roads adjacent to the A501, resulting in severe disruption on Marylebone Road, Edgware Road, Gloucester Place and Station Approach. An angry motorist ripped banners from activists’ hands, telling them to ‘leave the road’.
October 9 – Furious motorists dragged protesters from the roads as they stopped traffic again, resulting in 45 arrests at Piccadilly Circus. One man was filmed clambering on top of a police van and glued himself down to it by the hand.
October 10 – 25 eco-zealots arrested after gluing themselves to each other and roads close to Buckingham Palace, sparking anger from motorists who told them to ‘get a job’.
October 11 – An irate van driver forced his vehicle through a wall of protesters in Knightsbridge as fed-up motorists ripped down banners and dragged activists off the road by hand.
October 12 – 27 people were arrested for public order offences after eco-warriors blocked the roads around Parliament Square.
October 13 – Frustrations boiled during a furious bust-up between drivers and activists after they blocked routes around St George’s Circus in Southwark, which is located between Lambeth North and Elephant and Castle Underground stations. One frustrated woman asked the group: ‘I have a disabled child who needs to go to school, why are you doing this to people?’
October 14 – Two activists arrested for throwing soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in the National Gallery. Anna Holland, 20, Phoebe Plummer, 21, threw two tins of Heinz tomato soup over the £76m painting before gluing themselves to a wall inside the gallery.
October 15 – Furious drivers dragged protesters out of the road and begged them to move as they blocked Shoreditch High Street – stopping a fire truck from getting through. At least 26 people were arrested after police arrived to unglue and remove protestors.
October 16 – Activists sprayed paint over an Aston Martin showroom as they blocked off Park Lane. A furious cab driver hauled protesters out the way as a fellow motorist shouted: ‘People have got f****** work to go to’ while another added ‘people are trying to go to hospital’.
October 17 – Just Stop Oil was responsible for the QE2 Bridge at Dartford on the M25 being closed all day after two activists ascended 275ft masts. Morgan Trowland, 39, and Marcus Carambola, 33, scaled the bridge linking Essex to Kent, forcing police to stop traffic.
October 18 – The two protesters who were suspended from the QE2 bridge were removed and arrested by police. The crossing finally reopened after 36 hours as the two men agreed to co-operate with officers and come down. The same day, a motorist yelled at officers for doing nothing as Just Stop Oil ‘idiots waste my time’ as they blocked the A4 into London during rush hour.
October 19 – Another roadblock was in place the next morning, resulting in 25 arrests after traffic was stopped on one of London’s busiest road, the A4 Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum.
October 20 – Activists splattered Harrods in paint before blocking all traffic outside the Knightsbridge store. Some 20 supporters of the group glued themselves to Brompton Road, directly outside Harrods, with some using locks to attach themselves together.
October 21 – A frustrated black cab driver told the activists to ‘get a job’ during disruption, before police intervened and made 16 arrests near Holborn.
October 22 – Roughly 20 activists walked into the road in north London and stopped traffic at Upper Street and Islington Green. Some glued themselves onto the tarmac and others used lock-ons. Police arrested 17 protesters for wilful obstruction of the highway.
October 23 – Four protesters were arrested the following day after blocking the iconic Abbey Road crossing in north west London.
October 24 – Police arrested a group of protesters after they threw chocolate cake in the face of a waxwork of King Charles III at Madame Tussauds.
October 25 – Activists sprayed orange paint over the front door of 55 Tufton Street, a building associated with climate change sceptics and Brexit-backing think-tanks.
October 26 – Eco zealots blocked Piccadilly by sitting in the road with banners while three had glued themselves to the tarmac, prompting angry clashes with motorists. Hours earlier, two climate activists were arrested for criminal damage after spraying paint on luxury car showrooms in Berkeley Square.
October 27 – Activists sat on the road on Cannon Street, Queen Victoria Street and Garlick Hill in the City of London to demand the government end all new licences for oil and gas production.
October 28 – Two protesters were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after spraying orange paint over the premises of Rolex in Knightsbridge.
October 29 – Fed-up commuters pleaded with ‘pathetic’ activists to put an end to the chaos after 61 protesters marched through Charing Cross Road, Kensington High Street, Kennington Road and Blackfriars Road with banners, blocking traffic in both directions.
October 30 – Drivers angrily remonstrated with activists sat in the middle of Commercial Street and Hanbury Street in east London, trying to pull them out of the way as one woman shouted that she had a sick child in her car before police arrived at the scene.
October 31 – Six eco activists were arrested for dousing paint from fire extinguishers on the Home Office, the MI5 building, the Bank of England and the headquarters of News Corp at London Bridge.
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