Around 11 people from Cumbria have been arrested after Just Stop Oil protests in London.
It follows at least 21 from the county earlier this month. They are among hundreds of Just Stop Oil supporters who have been arrested for blocking traffic in Central London, bringing the capital to a standstill for the fifth week running.
They are demanding that the Government commits to ending all new oil and gas projects in the UK.
Just Stop Oil supporters from the North of England blocked the three roads next to Mansion House Tube station. The same group – 61 in total – returned to block four locations across central London – Charing Cross Road, High Street Kensington, Harleyford Street and Blackfriars Road.
Each time they disrupted traffic by sitting in the road with their now familiar banners. Some supporters glued themselves onto the tarmac while others locked on to each other with steel tubes, making their removal more difficult.
Rachel Dodsworth, a 61-year-old mum of two from Penrith, who works in social care, was arrested for the first time this week. She said “I am not prepared to stand by while this criminal Government continues to put profit and growth above dealing with climate collapse.
“How many more extreme weather catastrophes does the world need to experience before our leaders take action to reduce fossil fuel consumption and invest in sustainable energy? The situation is urgent, we do not have any time to lose.”
Paul Martyn, 67, a furniture maker from Ambleside, who has been arrested several times since the blockades began on October 1, said: “This week yet another scientific report, this time from the United Nations Environment Agency, tells us what we already know; we cannot go after new oil and gas and hope to have a viable future, and yet this is exactly what our Government is doing. We have to go all out for renewables or we will lose everything we hold dear.”
A number of those arrested were remanded in custody and taken to court the following day.
There have been scenes of angry drivers shouting abuse, throwing traffic bollards and dragging the Just Stop Oil supporters off the road, only for them to return immediately to sit down in the road again.
However, despite these reports, recent polling has shown a huge surge in support for non-violent direct action of the sort carried out by Just Stop Oil, with 66 per cent saying they support taking non-violent direct action to protect the climate and just 34 per cent opposed.
The actions over the weekend follow 29 days of continuous disruption by supporters of Just Stop Oil, which have resulted in around 650 arrests. Since the campaign began on April 1, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested nearly 2,000 times, with six currently in prison.
The London blockades come after the Government announced it plans to license more than 130 new oil and gas projects. Just Stop Oil say they are peacefully resisting those plans, and what they see as the Government’s failure to fulfil its promise to tackle the climate crisis and help people with their sky-rocketing energy bills.
The energy price hike on October 1 means almost eight million households are expected to fall into fuel poverty by April 1 2023, while energy companies are accused of making huge profits.
