Eco-warrior Chris Packham has appeared at the latest slow-march by Just Stop Oil protesters in London today.
The Springwatch star, 62, was snapped with a cameraman speaking to some of the eco-mob as zealots once again brought rush-hour chaos to the capital.
It is not known why the BBC presenter is at the rally today, which started shortly after 8am in The Strand, in central London.
His appearance comes after he was blasted for taking part in an Extinction Rebellion protest in the capital last month, having urged his army of Twitter followers to join the rally outside Parliament.
His comments triggered calls for him to be ‘sacked’ from the BBC, amid accusations he breached the broadcaster’s strict impartiality rules.
Chris Packham, pictured, has appeared at the latest march by Just Stop Oil eco-zealots in London today
Just Stop Oil protesters are pictured on Friday holding up traffic in central London during their latest protest in the capital
Chris Packham is pictured on the fourth day of The Big One climate change protest outside parliament, staged by Extinction Rebellion in April 2023
Followers of Packham said the BBC Springwatch co-presenter accused him of ‘using your celebrity platform to cause mayhem and disruption’.
After his Tweet, the BBC stressed that ‘social media guidance for freelancers is ongoing’.
It’s not the first time Packham has faced a BBC probe for his comments; he previously triggered outrage in 2013 after branding government officials ‘brutalist thugs, liars and frauds’ in a series of tweets.
BBC bosses launched an investigation into the posts following a complaint by the Countryside Alliance which claimed they went against the corporation’s impartiality rules.
It found Packham breached a BBC voluntary code of conduct as the tweets were not politically neutral.
Packham’s backing for Extinction Rebellion, set up by Welshman Roger Hallam who co-founded Just Stop Oil, was criticised again this week after he was appointed president of the RSPCA.
The BBC star and the animal welfare charity both came under fire for the move, branded ‘strange’ and ‘controversial’.
Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner told MailOnline: ‘This is a strange decision from an organisation which has done so much to rebuild its reputation over recent years.’
Calling Packham ‘a controversial figure’, he added: ‘By linking itself to Mr Packham the RSPCA will be alienating many people who have an important role in protecting the welfare of both domestic and wild animals.
BBC star Chris Packham, 62, has been appointed as the new president of the RSPCA. But the move has triggered a backlash from the head Countryside Alliance who branded the presenter a ‘controversial figure’ and criticised the RSPCA for appointing him to the prestigious role
‘It is disappointing to see the RSPCA slipping backwards after travelling a long road back to reason and respectability in recent years’.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA told MailOnline: ‘We work with a huge range of individuals and organisations to improve animal welfare. We are really excited to welcome Chris Packham as President of the RSPCA.
‘Chris is much loved and a well respected voice for all animals who speaks to a wide range of society.
‘Stepping up into the Presidential role is a natural next step and we are looking forward to working with him closer to create a better world for animals.’
More than 20 Just Stop Oil protesters took to the streets of London this morning to cause more misery for commuters.
Armed with orange banners and using a megaphone, they clogged The Strand for about 20 minutes – before police kicked them off the road at 8.30am.
Their protest came after the eco-fanatics caused outrage yesterday by kidnapping three lambs from a royal farm and attacking the Chelsea Flower Show.
Three Just Stop Oil activists vandalised a show garden at Chelsea Flower Show
A woman dampened the protest by grabbing a hose pipe and drenching the three intruders until she was stopped by a security guard
They were warned their stunts, which raised animal welfare fears and caused costly damage, would destroy any public sympathy they had.
The incidents are the latest in a series that includes a paint attack on the World Snooker Championships and a bid to sabotage the Grand National.
Parliament might now have to bring in stronger punishments, according to Tory veteran Peter Bone.
The MP said: ‘When a very, very tiny minority is ruining the lives of other people, action needs to be taken. If this were to continue and the current laws are not strong enough, the Government will have to introduce new laws.
‘We are not talking about peaceful protest. This completely ruins the lives of the vast majority of people. We just can’t carry on like this.’
Yesterday’s chaos began with three Animal Rising activists presenting themselves to Slough Police after announcing they had taken three lambs from Appleton Farm on the royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
They included Rose Patterson, 33, who was previously arrested on suspicion of leading the group’s plot to sabotage the Grand National, as uncovered by The Mail on Sunday.
The three activists said they rescued the lambs – dubbed Sammy, Sunny and Sooty – late on Wednesday night to save them from slaughter.
After concerns were raised that the animals – whose location is unknown – would be distressed after being separated from their mothers, the group claimed taking the ewes as well was not possible. They said they ‘hid’ the lambs before handing themselves in.
An hour later three Just Stop Oil activists vandalised a show garden at Chelsea Flower Show.
Charity co-ordinator Stephanie Golder, 35, retired landscape engineer Naomi Goddard, 58, and disability support worker Rosa Hicks, 28, threw orange powder paint from their handbags across the flowers and hard landscaping of the RBC Brewin Dolphin garden.
Goddard was heard to shout: ‘Humanity is failing. Everything that you hold dear is in peril. The flower gardens that you treasure.
‘The buildings that you adore. Our traditions. What is the point of a garden if you can’t feed yourself?’
A woman dampened the protest by grabbing a hose pipe and drenching the three intruders until she was stopped by a security guard.
