Just Stop Oil eco-clowns have launched a fresh wave of protests in London this morning – but were hauled off the road by police within minutes.
In scenes today branded ‘boring’ by frustrated Britons, a group of zealots took to Kensington to stage their latest shambling slow-march, once again frustrating rush-hour commuters in the capital.
Tempers appeared to boil over as angry Londoner was pictured snatched one of the signs from a protester and ripping it to pieces, as activists blocked Warwick Road.
Officers from the Met Police were alerted to the march in Kensington High Street at 8.15am and took just 20 minutes to arrive and kick the hi-vis wearing eco zealots off the highway.
Protesters rallied in Newington Causeway, near Elephant and Castle, minutes later at 9.16am. But again, officers from the Met Police were able to swiftly break-up the march, clearing the road eight minutes later.
Just Stop Oil zealots were back on the slow-march again today, this time blocking traffic in Kensington, London (pictured)
Eco-zealots holding signs saying ‘Our Government is killing us’ and ‘No new oil gas coal’ held up traffic as the marched through the capital on Friday morning
But the scene prompted fury this morning, with one man being seen to snatch the signs from protesters and rip it up
The latest protest came after a day of carnage in the capital on Thursday which saw 54 Just Stop Oil activists causing mayhem, leading to a furious exchanges between protesters and frustrated motorists.
Nine members of the group were arrested by the Met Police for causing disruption across the capital.
Then in bizarre scenes later in the afternoon, in East Sussex, members of the eco-mob gate-crashed the Glyndebourne Festival blasting air horns and setting off a confetti bomb before shouting at performers.
Three supporters from the eco-mob were booted out of the opera house during Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, which was being performed at the world-renowned festival near Lewes at 5.31pm.
The festival was forced to pause while the activists were removed before frustrated audiences were faced with an empty stage.
In a statement, the opera house said ushers were able to peacefully escort the fanatics off the stage within less than a minute. After a 21-minute delay, the opera was able to restart.
Just Stop Oil claims the protesters were forcibly removed from the venue and arrested – however, the opera house said no arrests were made and police were not in attendance. MailOnline has approached Sussex Police for more information.
Georgia Mann, who was at the event, said on Twitter that it ‘gave everyone a huge shock.’
Meanwhile Jessica Duchen said: ‘Oil protestors escorted out of the front row of Glyndebourne just now, having disrupted Carmelites, made a heap of noise and alienated a heap of people from their cause both front and back of house. How to win friends and influence people – not.’
Annoyed Britons have been showing their frustration at the continued protest by the group, with one this morning saying it was ‘getting boring now. Yawn yawn yawn’
An angry Londoner was pictured on Friday morning confronting Just Stop Oil activists in London
And on Thursday, Just Stop Oil members targeted a performance at Glyndebourne Festival, blasting air horns and setting off a glitter cannons
The festival was forced to pause while the activists were removed as audiences were faced with an empty stage.
She added: ‘They had a blowy horn, a placard and an exploding glitter thing, and it could probably have been a lot worse, but our conductor is in shock as they were directly behind him. (Those seats would have cost them a pretty penny…).’
In a statement yesterday, Glyndebourne said: ‘We are very sorry to everyone whose visit to Glyndebourne was affected by the protest action today.
‘Our highest priority was the safety and security of everyone on site and we would like to thank our staff and performers, whose calm and professional response kept everyone safe and disruption to a minimum.
Earlier in the day, officers from the Met Police were able to use newly-granted powers to crackdown on protesters blocking busy London streets.
Around 54 environmental activists marched slowly on the A406 southbound at the Hanger Lane Roundabout in Ealing, west London, from 8am and at same time on Battersea Bridge.
Just Stop Oil protest at Vauxhall Cross on the day that new powers have been given to the police to stop slow walking protests
A woman is arrested by police during a Just Stop Oil protest in west London on Thursday
They unfurled banners as they marched for more than 30 minutes, causing a massive traffic pile-up.
Angry drivers remonstrated with the protesters, with one worker in a hi-vis jacket tossing a Just Stop Oil banner away.
Another man branded them ‘middle class scum’, while other drivers implored them to move.
The group later announced that nine of its protesters had been arrested during the protest ‘for failing to comply with a section 12 notice issued on a march at Hanger Lane’.
It comes after cops were granted new powers to stop slow-walking tactics, detaining nine of the eco-zealots.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman urged officers to take a ‘more robust and swifter response’ to the campaign group and unveiled a list of regulations that come into force yesterday.
Angry drivers remonstrated with the protesters, with one calling them ‘middle class scum’
Police detain a Just Stop Oil activist during a slow walk protest in Vauxhall, central London
The group later announced that nine of its protesters had been arrested during the protest ‘for failing to comply with a section 12 notice issued on a march at Hanger Lane’
Around 54 environmental activists marched slowly on the A406 southbound at the Hanger Lane Roundabout in Ealing, west London , from 8am and at same time on Battersea Bridge
Home Secretary Suella Braverman urged officers to take a ‘more robust and swifter response’ to the campaign group
Police detain a Just Stop Oill activist during a slow walk protest in Vauxhall, central London
The arrests come after MPs approved regulations making it easier for police to stop protests judged to be disruptive
They will allow police to intervene immediately to halt the group under a a wider definition of what counts as ‘serious disruption to the life of the community’ under the Public Order Act 1986.
Under the old rules, police had to judge each protest separately before deciding whether it met the ‘serious disruption’ requirements.
Now, however, they can group protests together and judge their cumulative impact over time.
Thursday was the first time the police used their new powers, arresting nine people.
In a statement, the group said: ‘Just Stop Oil supporters are on the roads marching in their eighth week of daily action in the capital to demand that the UK Government halt all licences and consents for new oil, gas and coal projects.’
Allie Law, 23, a programmer from Bury St Edmunds, was one of those arrested and spoke while being detained.
Just Stop Oil slow walking protest near the Hanger Lane Gyratory System in West London
Police detain a Just Stop Oill activist during a slow walk protest in Vauxhall
Thursday was the first time the police used their new powers, arresting nine people
In Ealing, they unfurled banners as they marched for more than 30 minutes, causing a massive traffic pile-up
The environmental activists marched slowly on the A406 southbound at the Hangar Lane Roundabout in Ealing, west London, from 8am
The protests have so far cost the Met around £4.5 million and about 13,770 shifts
She said: ‘I’m Allie, I’m 23. I’ve just been arrested under section 12 of the Public Order Act for exercising my democratic right to march, protected by the United Nations. I’m being searched, as if I’m going to hurt anyone, when they know we’re completely nonviolent – unlike our government.
‘The Government has been told by their own advisers that continuing to licence fossil fuels will kill millions, but they don’t seem to care. It could be to do with them getting paid a lot from fossil fuel companies… I couldn’t possibly comment on that.’
Christopher Ford, 46, from Cambridge, added: ‘As a father of two sons and a nursery school teaching assistant, I am terrified for the future of younger generations and I am horrified by the response of the Government to the climate crisis.
‘They are putting their profits before my children’s safety and as a father I must do what I can to protect them. The corruption and profiteering within our government is at epidemic proportions, public disaffection is at its highest and the new laws they are bringing in are designed to squash all dissent, breaking international human rights laws as they do so. Protest is now effectively banned.’
Since the Just Stop Oil campaign launched on February 14, 2022, there have been 2,200 arrests and 138 people have spent time in prison, many without trial. There are currently two Just Stop Oil supporters serving three year prison sentences for resisting new oil, gas and coal.
The protests have so far cost the Met around £4.5 million and about 13,770 shifts.
