Eco fanatics from Just Stop Oil have been surrounded by police after breaking into the streets of London in yet another slow march through the nation’s capital.
About 26 activists, dressed in hi-vis jackets and armed with orange banners and a megaphone, cause chaos in the rush hour with their latest stunt.
Protesters strolled down Aldersgate Street, near the Barbican, in the City of London, stopping buses and causing havoc for frustrated motorists.
The eco-fanatics took off from about 8am as part of their latest attempt to cause disruption in London, following a series of similarly slow marches and protests last week.
Officers from the Met Police were scrambled shortly after 8:15 a.m. and have been photographed surrounding the demonstrators.
Just Stop Oil protesters imagined marching through central London on Monday, holding back rush hour traffic. They are pictured surrounded by police
Eco zealots marched down Aldersgate Street, near the Barbican, in the City of London, stopping buses and causing havoc for frustrated motorists
Officers from the Met Police were scrambled shortly after 8:15 a.m. and have been photographed surrounding the demonstrators. Depicted are scenes from today’s march
A Met Police spokesperson said on Twitter: ‘At 0815 police became aware of a JSO protest on Aldersgate Street EC1A. The police are now on site and are making an assessment.’
A Just Stop Oil activist named Ruth led the march near Britain’s financial district, where the Bank of England building stands.
Armed with a megaphone, the campaigner shouted from Scotland: ‘I traveled from Glasgow because my government won’t listen to me.
“We look at recent IPCC reports that tell us we are not on track to meet our targets and yet the government is about to grant a license for a new oil project equivalent to the emissions of 28 low-income countries.
“This project is called Rosebank and it is a death sentence for everyone on this planet.”
Traffic is heavy in Moorgate, with vehicles crawling at speeds of 4mph and the A1211 near the London Wall, where bumper to bumper keeps speeds at 10mph, according to data from satellite navigation company Waze.
Today’s demonstration follows a similar one on Friday, when protesters marched down Cromwell Street, Kensington – sparking a furious altercation with a frustrated Met Police officer, who demanded an eco fanatic ‘get off the road’.
At least 22 activists wreaked havoc on rush-hour drivers during their 8am protest before police arrived on the scene for 20 minutes to disperse the protesters.
On video footage of the encounter, an officer can be heard ordering activists to “get off the road, you’re obstructing the highway” before a woman appears to walk forward, narrowly evading being hit by a car.
A police officer arrives at the scene of Monday’s protest as traffic begins to build (pictured)
Just Stop Oil activists left shortly after 8am, armed with banners and hi-vis jackets. Pictured is a campaigner marching through the City of London on Monday
“Ma’am, get off the road, you’re going to be hit,” the officer yells, holding out his arm to stop her just before a car passes inches from the woman.
One of the campaigners on Friday, Paul Barnes, 43, a father of two from Derbyshire, said: ‘I will continue to do everything I can to protect my loved ones. I hear my kids talk about what they want to be when they grow up, so I’m taking action now to protect them before it’s too late.”
Another Just Stop Oil activist involved in Friday’s disruption, Caroline Cattermole, 70, a cancer support worker and bird watcher, added: “I have seen firsthand the dramatic reduction in wildlife due to environmental destruction and collapse of the climate.
“We have lost 70 per cent of the UK’s birds over the last three decades. Humanity has wiped out 60 percent of all animal populations since 1970.
Our survival depends on the natural world in ways we don’t always notice. It breaks my heart.
“We risk starvation, starvation and societal collapse due to crop failures caused by extreme weather conditions… We must stop using new fossil fuels now.”
The action comes days after a frustrated Met police officer was filmed yelling at a Just Stop Oil activist to ‘get off the road – you’ll be hit’ during a slow march protest in Kensington on Friday (pictured)
But the Met Police officer arrived within 20 minutes and at 9am tried to stop activists from marching further into central London.
No arrests were made during Friday’s standoff between protesters and police, which came amid heightened tensions over public demonstrations and repression by authorities.
Last Monday, the Met was forced into an embarrassing U-turn following the arrests of protesters at the King’s coronation earlier this month.
Six activists from the anti-monarchy group Republic became the first people in Britain to be arrested under the sweeping Public Order Act on suspicion of being geared to ‘lock-on’ – a tactic sometimes used by campaigners used to get the police to remove them.
But despite being detained by police for hours, the Met announced earlier last week that an investigation had been unable to establish an intent to disrupt the event.
“Bail has been withdrawn from all six tonight and no further action will be taken,” the Met said in a statement.
“We regret that the six people arrested were unable to join the larger group of protesters in Trafalgar Square and elsewhere along the processional route.”
On Saturday, Just Stop Oil supporters took part in another demonstration in Parliament Square, near the House of Commons.
The group marched through Whitehall and gathered outside BBC headquarters as part of a rally in support of Palestine organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
The move came after a similar crackdown by eco zealots last Thursday, which saw 13 activists arrested outside parliament.
Photo shows officers diverting Just Stop Oil campaigners during their latest march in London on Friday morning
The campaign group claimed protesters were “held in police custody until 7pm” before being released early this morning.
Activists have warned they will hold another march outside parliament at noon tomorrow.
A spokesperson for the group added: “This government is engaged in a full-scale assault on our human rights: migrant rights, workers’ rights, protest rights – nothing is sacred. The law on public order has criminalized peaceful dissent.
“Just Stop Oil will demonstrate in solidarity with all people affected by this authoritarian attack on our democratic right to protest.”
As of February 2022, Just Stop Oil claimed its activists have been arrested more than 2,100 times, with 138 fanatics serving time in prison.
Last year the group caused a massacre on major motorways, including the M25, when activists climbed on gantries above the road to halt traffic.
MailOnline has approached the Metropolitan Police for comment on Just Stop Oil’s latest march today.
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