Met police arrest Just Stop Oil co-founders Roger Hallam and Indigo Rumbelow in dawn raids after eco zealots announced three more weeks of slow marches across London
The co-founders of Just Stop Oil have been arrested in a series of dawn raids by the Metropolitan Police this morning.
Roger Hallam and Indigo Rumbelow and were arrested in separate busts after cops ‘forced entry to their homes, searched belongings and confiscated papers’, the eco group said in a statement.
Footage shared by Just Stop Oil on X (formerly Twitter) showed the moment police raided Mr Hallam’s home. Being led away by one officer, the eco-zealot gives a thumbs up and says ‘all good’ after being asked about the raid by the cameraman.
Police are seen searching through the property, using torches to check drawers, before being quizzed by a Just Stop Oil supporter about the items they are seizing.
The arrest came after Just Stop Oil announced it would carry out three more weeks of daily slow marches in London, beginning on October 30 – in a fresh blow for Londoners following months of disruptive protests by activists.
Roger Hallam (right) and Indigo Rumbelow (left) and were arrested in separate raid by the Met Police today
Just Stop Oil say police ‘forced entry to their homes’ before arresting the pair (Mr Hallam is pictured)
Officers carried out the dawn raids this morning, with Just Stop Oil sharing footage of one of them on X (formerly Twitter)
The video showed the moment officers raided Mr Hallam’s home. Being led away by one officer, the eco-zealot is seen giving a thumbs up and saying ‘all good’ after being asked if he had anything to say about the raid by the person filming the incident.
Following the raids, a defiant Just Stop Oil insisted it would ‘not be intimidated’ and that it would continue with its planned slow-march protests in London.
‘We will not be intimidated by our criminal government. Not content with cheering on war crimes in Gaza, by maxing out our oil and gas reserves they are complicit in the greatest crime in human history,’ the group said in a statement.
READ MORE: Greta Thunberg is CHARGED with public order offence after climate change protest outside London hotel (as police charge sheet reveals Swedish activist ‘lives in seaside holiday hotspot Dorset’)
‘New oil and gas will result in unimaginable suffering and destroy the lives and livelihoods of billions of people. No one has ever voted for this, there has never been a democratic mandate to destroy the habitable world.
‘Just Stop Oil supporters are deeply committed to stopping all new oil and gas. If our government refuses to do what is right to protect humanity, then people will step up to do what needs to be done.
‘The painful truth right now is that our politicians and corporations have no intention of acting in accordance with the fundamental interests of either our young people or the country as a whole.
‘Whether those in charge realise that they are commiting the crime of genocide, is not the question.
‘For this is how it will be seen by the next generation and all future generations. Our friends in police custody and languishing in prison understand this very well as do we.’
MailOnline has approached the Met Police for comment about the two raids.
Police are seen searching through Mr Hallam’s home, using torches and checking drawers
Mr Hallam is filmed being escorted from the property by Met Police officers
News of the pair’s arrest comes after the force charged eco-activist Greta Thunberg with a public order offence after a protest outside a central London hotel.
The 20-year-old was one of 26 people charged following Tuesday’s rally outside the InterContinental Hotel in Park Lane which was hosting a major meeting of oil executives.
Scotland Yard said protesters were asked to move from the road onto the pavement to avoid breaching the conditions.
Thunberg – whose address was given by police as ‘Dorset’ – was charged with failing to comply with a condition on public assemblies.
The Swedish activist could be seen smiling as she was detained by officers and led to a waiting police van after joining a protest outside the Energy Intelligence Forum (EIF) – formerly the Oil and Money conference.
In footage shared on social media, officers could be seen frogmarching the campaigner to the van as other protesters were told to stand back.
She had earlier spoken outside the hotel as part of a protest organised by Fossil Free London against the EIF event, urging eco-activists to ‘reclaim the power’ and hitting out at ‘spineless’ politicians for failing to act on global warming.
Thunberg was charged with failing to comply with a condition on public assemblies
Greta Thunberg, wearing a large badge reading ‘Oily Money Out’, is led away from the Intercontinental Hotel Park Lane by two Met Police officers
The 20-year-old Swedish activist was led to a police van as activists watched on
Thunberg has been charged with failing to comply with a condition imposed under Section 14 of the Public Order Act.
Officers said they asked the protesters to move from the road onto the pavement which would have allowed them to continue protesting legally.
They said they had imposed conditions to ‘prevent disruption to the public’.
She was bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 15.
A Met Police spokesman said: ‘We have charged 26 people after a protest outside a hotel in central London.
‘Officers responded to the protest on the morning of Tuesday October 17 and imposed conditions to prevent disruption to the public.
‘The protestors were asked to move from the road onto the pavement, which would enable them to continue with their demonstration without breaching the conditions.’
Fossil Free London activists banged drums and chanted ‘oily, oily money, out, out, out’ as they blocked the hotel entrance; members of Greenpeace later dramatically rappelled down the side of the building to unfurl a banner reading: ‘Make big oil pay.’
Thunberg spoke at the Fossil Free London protest outside the Energy Intelligence Forum conference in central London
Other protesters were told to stand back while Ms Thunberg smiled from the back of the police van
Ms Thunberg was crowded by officers as she was detained and led to the van
Activists from Greenpeace rappelled down the side of the hotel later and unfurled a banner reading: ‘Make Big Oil Pay’
Thunberg (centre) stands among protesters from Fossil Free London
Speakers at the conference include COP28 President-delegate Dr Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, net zero minister Graham Stuart, former climate change minister Charles Hendry and senior figures from energy firms BP, Shell, Repsol and ExxonMobil.
Its agenda includes a discussion on whether the COP climate change gathering is ‘still relevant’.
Thunberg became the face of young climate activists worldwide after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament in 2018.
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