A group of Just Stop Oil protestors engaging in a traffic-blocking slow walk were attacked today in central London. A video shot from a neighbouring building shows a man approaching the protestors from behind, before taking their banners, smacking the phone out of a protestors hand and shoving another to the ground, before pushing several other protestors.
The Met Police arrived shortly after the incident, seemingly after the attacker had left the scene.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “The Met and City of London Police are aware of an incident in which a member of the public appears to have remonstrated with Just Stop Oil protesters this morning, 19 May, in the City of London, before the arrival of police.
“At this stage, we are not aware that any allegations have been made in regard to this matter. We completely understand the frustration and anger of London’s communities when protesters walk slowly in the roads.
Just stop oil regularly engages in a program of public disruption, ranging from blocking roads to glueing themselves to art, to spread awareness and urgency to the issue of climate change. Activists argue that while their actions may be disruptive, the need to effect climate change is too great to ignore. Several incidents in recent months have shown members of the public reacting aggressively to Just Stop Oil activists.
A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said: “We understand how frustrating it can be to be disrupted, however, as of this morning, 13 people are dead and 13,000 people have had to be evacuated from their homes in Italy, due to six months’ worth of rain falling in a day and a half.
“The disruption we are seeing on British streets is nothing compared to the disruption wrought if we do not stop licensing new oil, gas and coal.”
Just Stop Oil is calling for an end to all new oil, gas and coal projects in the UK and says its protests will continue indefinitely.
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