Just Stop Oil zealots spark rush hour chaos with slow march in London
They’re at it again! Just Stop Oil protesters spark rush hour traffic with slow-march through London in eco-group’s latest stunt
- Eco zealots are pictured marching once again through the centre of the capital
Just Stop Oil eco zealots have hit the streets of London in yet another slow-march through the nation’s capital.
More than a dozen activists, wearing hi-vis jackets and armed with orange banners, are causing rush-hour mayhem with their latest stunt.
Protesters have been pictured sauntering through the centre of the city, near the Barbican, holding up buses and causing misery for frustrated motorists.
The eco fanatics set off from about 8am as part of their latest assault on London, following a series of similar slow marches and protests last week.
On Friday, Just Stop Oil campaigners were seen marching through Cromwell Street, in Kensington – which led to a angry exchange with a frustrated Met Police officer, who demanded one protester to ‘get off the road’.
Just Stop Oil protesters pictured marching through the centre of London on Monday, holding up rush hour traffic
Fury as the frustrated police officer shouts at one of the Just Stop Oil activists to ‘get off the road – you’re going to get knocked down’ moments before a car passes within inches of her
At least 22 activists – some armed with mega phones – marched down the street at 8am causing misery for rush-hour drivers, before police arrived on the scene 20 minutes to break up the campaigners.
In video footage of the encounter, one officer can be heard ordering activists to ‘get off the road, you’re obstructing the highway’ before a woman appears to stroll forward, narrowly avoiding being hit by a car.
‘Madam, get off the the road, you’re going to get knocked down,’ shouts the officer as he puts his arm out to stop her moments before a car passes within inches of the woman.
READ MORE: ‘How much pollution are you causing?’: Furious driver confronts Just Stop Oil protesters as their latest London slow-march causes tailback – before police clear the road in TWO MINUTES and arrest 14
One of those taking action on Friday, Paul Barnes, 43, a father of two from Derbyshire, said: ‘I will continue to do all I can to protect my loved ones. I hear my children talk about what they want to be when they grow up, so I am taking action now to protect them, before it’s too late.’
Another Just Stop Oil activist involved in Friday’s disruption, Caroline Cattermole, 70, a cancer patient support worker and birdwatcher, added: ‘I have seen first-hand the dramatic reduction in wildlife brought about through ecological destruction and climate collapse.
‘We have lost 70 per cent of birds in the UK in the last three decades. Humanity has wiped out 60 per cent of all animal populations since 1970.
‘Our survival depends on the natural world in ways that we don’t always notice. It breaks my heart.
‘We risk famine, starvation and societal collapse as a result of crop failure, brought about by extreme weather events… We have to stop new fossil fuels now.’
No arrests were made during the Friday clash between protesters and police, which came amid heightened tensions over public demonstrations and a clamp down by the authorities.
Last Monday, the Met was forced into an embarrassing u-turn following the arrests of protesters at the King’s coronation earlier this month.
The protester came armed with banners and mega phones during their 8am march on Friday
But officer from the Met Police arrived within 20 minutes and by 9am were seeking to block activists from marching any further into central London
Six activists from Republic, the anti-monarchy group, became the first people in Britain to be arrested under the wide-ranging Public Order Act, under suspicion of being equipped to ‘lock-on’ – a tactic sometimes employed by campaigners to make harder for police to remove them.
But despite being held by police for hours, the Met announced earlier last week that an investigation had been unable to prove intent to disrupt the event.
‘This evening all six have had their bail cancelled and no further action will be taken,’ the Met said in a statement.
‘We regret that those six people arrested were unable to join the wider group of protesters in Trafalgar Square and elsewhere on the procession route.’
The latest action by Just Stop Oil follows a demonstration outside the House of Parliament in Thursday, which saw 13 of its activists arrested.
Officers are pictured redirecting the Just Stop Oil campaigners on their latest march in London on Friday morning
The campaign group claimed that protesters were ‘held in police custody for up to 19 hours’ before being released early this morning.
Activists have warned they will stage another march outside of parliament tomorrow at midday.
A spokesman for the group added: ‘This government is engaged in a wholesale assault on our human rights: migrants rights, workers rights, protest rights – nothing is sacred. The Public Order Act has criminalised peaceful dissent.
‘Just Stop Oil will march in solidarity with all people affected by this authoritarian assault on our democratic right to protest.’
Since February 2022, Just Stop Oil claimed its activists have been arrested more than 2,100 times, with 138 zealots spending time in prison.
Last year saw the group cause carnage on major motorways, including the M25, when activists climbed on gantries above the road, bringing traffic to a halt.
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