Just Stop Oil have not just promised to sabotage a summer’s worth of sporting events, they have taken a further step and are once again causing chaos in the streets of London; thereby prolonging the rush hour and its concomitant environmental impact. Bedecked in the latest high-vis jackets, with banners and signs blocking roads, they are slow-walking in the middle of streets and sitting down at crossings. Naturally this is infuriating the public in their audacious attempts to travel to work. Clearly the situation is reaching breaking point, as videos emerge of citizens dragging them off the roads, ripping up their signs and shouting at them to move. Rather than police the streets however, Sadiq Khan’s finest are content to stand idly by and observe; that is until the public intervene, at which point the Old Bill spring into action.
On twitter, Just Stop Oil always talk about how corrupt the government is, how they are allowing climate change to happen, and how it will destroy our society. Why, then, are they targeting ordinary people with their disruptive tactics? Surely they should be protesting outside of oil terminals, or dare one suggest, outside Number 10? The fact that they have chosen to do it in the nation’s capital is galling. Even more galling is that, not for the first time, they have stopped an ambulance getting through their lines. Home Secretary Suella Braverman promised tough action on the protesters and has ‘made it easier’ for police to arrest them. The question is, will they? It is not clear how much easier the process of arrest needs to be made; they are already committing a crime after all. These protestors would not get away with this in any other country–for example, earlier in the week German police dragged eco-fanatics, who were glued to the ground, off the highway.
The obstruction of a highway can be a criminal offence as well as a tort (a civil wrong allowing claimants to seek redress through the courts). Wilful obstruction without lawful excuse is one of several criminal offences. Also, organised walks or parades involving large groups of people walking, should use a pavement if available–London is full of them, so I see no reason for the police not to move them or give out warnings.
However, beyond tea-making duties, the police appear uninterested in interfering with Just Stop Oil, and have already warned the public that those who get in the way of the protestors may face arrest. This situation is completely unsustainable. Although there have been some arrests, jail time may not be the answer to these eco-zealots. Instead, I believe that community service would do them a world of good. At least they could clean up the streets, and actually do something positive for the environment, because what they are doing is not working.
These self-righteous toffs are not winning any popularity contests, and are merely making life harder for the working man. They have even threatened to gate crash King Charles’ Coronation, which would be ironic given his own obsession with saving the planet. Somehow, while they seem to get a free run at spoiling the lives of ordinary hard-working people, I suspect that they may finally feel the full force of the law if they try to pull that stunt off.
Jack Watson is a 14-year-old schoolboy, who has a Substack about being a Hull City fan. You can subscribe to it here.
