Nearly 200 protesters have poured on to the streets of London this morning as Just Stop Oil vows an ‘escalation of resistance’.
The climate change group marched across 14 locations in the capital today during the morning rush-hour in hopes of disrupting traffic and crucial road networks. They allege that at least 15 demonstrators have already been arrested.
The eco-zealots have pledged to ‘paralyse London‘ over the coming weeks with slow-marching columns ten times bigger than any previous marches, to force the ‘murderous Government‘ – as they refer to it – to scrap new domestic oil and gas licences.
Their controversial methods have long divided opinion as their protests cause major disruptions to the public by gluing themselves down to roads and airport runways.
Most recently, the group have been in the spotlight for halting play at Wimbledon and during a test match of The Ashes by throwing orange confetti. Protesters interrupted a live recording of the Channel 4 programme The Last Leg on Friday.
Nearly 200 protesters have poured on to the streets of London this morning as Just Stop Oil vows an ‘escalation of resistance’. Demonstrators are pictured in the Strand
Ben, 36, was among those arrested this morning. He said: ‘I am being arrested unlawfully for marching in the road to highlight the impact of the climate change crisis and how this government is refusing to take relevant action to protect its citizens’
Just Stop Oil says that 15 demonstrators have already been arrested this morning. A senior officer is seen taking a protester into custody today
The eco-zealots have pledged to ‘paralyse London’ over the coming weeks with slow-marching columns ten times bigger than any previous marches. Demonstrators are pictured in Bishopsgate, City of London this morning
The protesters want to force the Government to scrap new domestic oil and gas licences. Demonstrators are seen marching in Bishopsgate, City of London this morning
A man on a motorcycle snatches a Just Stop Oil banner while activists block traffic on Marylebone Road in central London
Ben, 36, was among the Just Stop Oil (JSO) demonstrators arrested this morning.
In a video shared online, the activist said: ‘I am being arrested unlawfully for marching in the road to highlight the impact of the climate change crisis and how this government is refusing to take relevant action to protect its citizens.’
He said the Government issuing new oil and gas licences has a ‘major impact’ on citizens and is ‘genocidal’.
‘The Government is leading to the destruction of habitats, of homes and millions of people’s lives,’ he added, before encouraging others to join the organisation’s protests.
Frances Davis, 20, from Norwich, was also taken into custody this morning. She claims her arrest came less than 15 minutes after she started marching.
‘I’m under arrest for demanding the same thing as the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the United Nations and the government’s own scientific advisers have been demanding – and we’ve just been ignored,’ she said.
‘We’ve tried everything else and now I’m in handcuffs, just for going on a march.’
An activist is taken into custody in Bishopsgate after being issued a Public Order Act (Section 12) notice just minutes after the JSO demonstration set off
Activists from Just Stop Oil block traffic in Whitehall this morning
A protester is arrested in Bishopsgate this morning after a JSO oil demonstration was swiftly removed by City of London Police
A motorcyclists makes his way through JSO activists trying to block traffic in Whitehall in central London this morning
JSO, in what it describes as an ‘escalation of resistance from previous weeks’, descended on the capital around 8am today in 14 groups
JSO, in what it describes as an ‘escalation of resistance from previous weeks’, descended on the capital around 8am today in 14 groups.
Protesters, in groups as small as five and large as 25, marched along key roads in central London as they carried placards reading ‘new oil = murder’, ‘hottest June ever’ and ‘can’t eat oil’.
The eco-zealots allege they were followed by police ‘before marches began’ and that officers began issuing Public Order Act (Section 12) notices just minutes after the first demonstration set off.
Offices stopped and searched dozens of protesters this morning, the group claims. JSO says three people were arrested on Liverpool Street within 15 minutes of the march starting. Another two were arrested in the area around 9.45am.
The group alleges that 20 demonstrators were arrested as they attempted to leave Lambeth bridge, but claims 11 of them were later de-arrested.
JSO also claims that officers were following demonstrators on the tube this morning.
MailOnline has approached Met Police and the City of London Police for comment.
Offices stopped and searched dozens of protesters this morning, the group claims. Demonstrators are pictured this morning in Westminster
JSO also claims that officers were following demonstrators on the tube this morning
The group reportedly plans on ‘shutting down the capital’ during their ‘biggest week of action yet’. Demonstrators are pictured during the protests this morning
The group reportedly plans on ‘shutting down the capital’ during their ‘biggest week of action yet’. In their week-long protest, they hope to interrupt traffic with their groups of slow-marchers until Saturday.
Louis Pilfold, 32, said she is marching this morning because ‘our children deserve lives as good as ours have been’.
‘They have done nothing to deserve the hardship of climate breakdown. It’s important that we engage with the reality of our predicament- that continued dumping of carbon into the atmosphere has put us in the midst of a human-made extinction event,’ the engineer, from Camden, said.
‘Scientists are warning that irreversible tipping points have already been triggered. We have to face up to the fact that the quickly destabilising climate will result in chaos – as we are starting to see.
‘We also have to realise our leaders have zero intention of resolving this crisis, due to criminal corruption amongst other factors. Our children need us to move quickly from despair into action, that is why I’m marching and you should be too.’
An officer is seen taking a JSO protester into custody this morning
Protesters, in groups as small as five and large as 25, marched along key roads in central London as they carried placards reading ‘hottest June ever’ and ‘0 days since last wildfire’
Anne Taylor, 74, a retired teacher from Oxford, added that she was ‘terrified’ about her four grandchildren’s futures.
‘I simply have to do whatever I can. That’s why I am marching today with Just Stop Oil. I hate to disrupt other people’s lives. But life simply cannot continue as usual. We are sounding the alarm. This is an emergency. It’s happening right now,’ she said.
Ms Taylor claimed she would ‘rather be working on my allotment or in my garden’ but has taken to the streets because ‘we are in a climate crisis’ which she said the Secretary General of the United Nations describes as ‘out of control’.
‘I have four grandchildren. I am terrified for their future,’ she added.