Vehicle appears to drive into Just Stop Oil protesters during London march
A mass of people wearing JSO's signature orange vests rallied on Saturday afternoon.
This comes after the group claimed a victory on new oil and gas licenses and said 'we're hanging up the hi vis' and 'we will take to the streets one last time'.
Activists appeared to occasionally block roads on the Trafalgar Square roundabout during the planned walk from St James' Park to Waterloo.
Video taken by the PA news agency seems to show a man slowly driving a white minivan carrying a child and at least one other passenger towards protesters for the environmental campaign group.
People standing front of the vehicle, some holding a JSO banner, look to hold their hands up with one shouting 'officer, I'm being pushed back'.
The vehicle appeared to face-off with protesters (Jeff Moore/PA)
The minivan appeared to edge forwards until the bonnet was pressing against them.
He then exited the vehicle and could be heard shouting 'what are you doing blocking the whole road up?' and saying to police 'what about my right to get home?' as a mass of people including press photographers gathered closely.
Film appears to capture the officers reminding the man that the disruption is temporary and that people had a right to protest.
Police seemed to successfully call for the crowd to move away from the vehicle.
Other similar incidents of drivers apparently becoming frustrated with people in the road were caught on camera.
Last month JSO announced it would stop direct action and announced it had won its demand to end new oil and gas.
A Just Stop Oil protest outside Downing Street (Jeff Moore/PA)
During Saturday's rally Keir Lane, 59, from Northamptonshire, told the PA news agency: 'You learn the ropes, you learn your business, and you have to identify your strengths and your weaknesses and make changes in what you do.
'This is why JSO are hanging up the hi-vis vest.
'Effectively what we're saying is we are stopping one model of operating which is the disruptive action that we're known for, and that will then morph into other things… what happens with the Just Stop Oil name, again, I don't think that's that's decided'.
Asked if that action had become a weakness, he said: 'No, but you can't carry on doing the same thing time and time again'.
The march paused at Downing Street, as well as the Royal Courts of Justice where the names of 11 JSO activists said to be serving jail sentences were read out.
It concluded outside the Shell Centre, Waterloo, that was blocked by police.
A message from the co-founder of JSO and Extinction Rebellion, Roger Hallam, recorded in prison was played to the crowd.
He said: 'I have been in a state of some nervous tension all week because I don't particularly feel uplifting to be honest, and faking it is not really one of my things.
'I didn't agree with the winding up of JSO and I want to see a lot more mobilisation and all the rest of it.
'In addition, I've been given a weather report which says that next week hundreds of Asian cities will have all-time high record temperatures and it will be 50C in the Philippines.
'No doubt if a million people have died in record temperatures by this time next week then people will be putting on their hi vis rather than hanging them up.'
Hallam was originally jailed for five years for agreeing to disrupt traffic by having protesters climb onto gantries over the M25 for four successive days, but his sentence was later reduced to one of four years at the Court of Appeal.
JSO has drawn attention, criticism and jail terms for protests ranging from throwing soup on Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers and spray painting Charles Darwin's grave to climbing on gantries over the M25.
In its March statement announcing the end of direct action, it said: 'Just Stop Oil's initial demand to end new oil and gas is now Government policy, making us one of the most successful civil resistance campaigns in recent history.
'We've kept over 4.4 billion barrels of oil in the ground and the courts have ruled new oil and gas licences unlawful.'
The Labour Government has said it will not issue licences for new oil and gas exploration, while a series of recent court cases have halted fossil fuel projects including oil drilling in Surrey, a coal mine in Cumbria and the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea over climate pollution.
But Labour has distanced itself from Just Stop Oil, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer criticising its actions and saying protesters must face the full force of the law.
The Metropolitan Police have been approached for comment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
20 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Race Council Cymru on racial justice five years after Newport protest
Five years ago today, on the 11th of June 2020, more than a thousand people gathered in Newport to support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, joining the millions worldwide standing against racial inequality. At the time, the Black Lives Matter movement, whilst not a new movement, had gained a substantial amount of momentum internationally following the death of George Floyd in the US. Race Council Cymru (RCC), work with key organisations in Wales to combat racial inequality, recall that point in time as a turning point, not only around the world but within Wales. 'People took to the streets, to screens, to classrooms, and to their hearts to say: enough is enough,' they explained. In Newport, a city known for its cultural diversity, people came together in protest against racial inequality, raising placards, kneeling in silence, and pledging to be part of the change. At the time, the world was amid a global pandemic, and there were concerns surrounding public gatherings. Nevertheless, supporters of the movement left the safety of their homes anyway, sending a powerful message. Various protests took place throughout Wales, sparking important conversations about racism, about the systems we live under and about racial inequality in Wales. In the five years since, Wales has seen many significant changes which seek to ensure racial equality. In 2022, the Welsh Government launched an Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, with the ambition of creating an anti-racist nation by the year 2030. Wales is also said to be the first UK nation to make the teaching of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic histories mandatory in schools, recognising that Black history is Welsh history. Nevertheless, Race Council Cymru highlights that positive progress has not erased racial inequality in Wales. 'There is progress. But there is also pain. While the conversation around race has evolved, racism has not disappeared,' they said. 'Hate crime in Wales remains a serious concern,' they added. Reminding the public to recognise the human being behind each crime statistic. As the years pass since the BLM protests, organisations such as Race Council Cymru continue to push for racial equality in Wales. 'We cannot and will not allow racism to go unchallenged. Not in our streets. Not in our institutions. Not in our silence,' they declared. Race Council Cymru invited everyone to take a stand, saying: 'Use your voice. Support our work. Speak up when you see injustice. Teach your children about the value of every human life.' 'Let's build a Wales where every person, regardless of race, background or belief, feels safe, respected, and heard,' they said.
Fashion United
a day ago
- Fashion United
French Senate to vote on regulating fast fashion
The French Senate is due to vote Tuesday on a bill to regulate the fast fashion industry, by sanctioning companies and banning advertisements. The bill is targeted at Chinese-founded e-commerce giant Shein, which has a reputation for selling lower quality clothes at a very low price. Easy to order and replace, fast fashion items are exported to France on a large scale, causing pollution and saturating markets. Adopted by the lower house National Assembly in March 2024, the bill will be voted on by the Senate later on Tuesday and is expected to pass, with backing from the government and widespread support in the chamber. The vote is not the final legislative hurdle: a joint committee of senators and lower house deputies is expected to meet from September to produce a joint text, prior to the final adoption of the law. The text plans to "reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry", said Anne-Cecile Violland, the centre-right member of parliament who proposed the bill. Fast fashion is a growing market in France and between 2010 and 2023, the value of advertised products grew from 2.3 billion euros to 3.2 billion euros. Around 48 clothing items per person are released into the French market each year, and 35 are thrown away every second in the country, according to the state environmental agency Ademe. Fast fashion poses a "triple threat", said the minister for ecological transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher. "It promotes overconsumption, causes ecological disaster and threatens our businesses," she said. Slamming an "invasion" of products that "do not last", the minister expressed hope it would help change things in Europe. Once adopted in France, the European Commission will be notified to ensure it complies with European law according to Pannier-Runacher. Targeting fast fashion The Senate, dominated by the right, modified the bill to target "ultra" fast fashion companies, such as Asian websites Shein ou Temu. The Senate's amendments plan to leave out French and European brands that may be affected by the bill, such as Zara, H&M and Kiabi. The fashion giants will still be obliged to notify their customers about the environmental impact of their products, according to the new bill. "I have no intention of making French brands that contribute to our country's economic vitality pay a single euro," said rapporteur Sylvie Valente Le Hir, member of the right-wing The Republicans party. The bill will impose stricter sanctions on fast fashion companies by scoring their "environmental communication". This "eco-score" will affect all fast fashion companies, Pannier-Runacher said. Those with the lowest scores will be taxed by the government up to 5 euros per product in 2025 and up to 10 euros by 2030. This tax cannot go beyond 50 percent of the price of the original product. Advertisement ban The bill would impose sanctions on influencers who promote such products and ban fast fashion advertisements. The regulation of the fast fashion industry will only succeed with a "collective effort", and not by targeting "a single actor," Shein spokesperson Quentin Ruffat told RTL radio on Monday. According to Ruffat, the law will add "a tax of 10 euros per sold item of clothing by 2030" and "impact the purchasing power" of French people. Environmental organisations are also worried that the law may be misinterpreted. Debates may amount to an interesting framework which still lacks substance, according to Green Senator Jacques Fernique. On Monday, the Textiles Industry Union (UIT) recognised the bill as "a first step" and hoped for its "rapid adoption ... even if the text does not entirely fit our expectations".(AFP)
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Dale Vince's High Court claim against Daily Mail publisher thrown out
Mr Vince brought legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over an article headlined 'Labour repays £100,000 to sex pest donor', published in June 2023. The story reported that the Labour Party was handing back money to donor Davide Serra with a picture showing Mr Vince holding a Just Stop Oil banner. This picture, published in print and on The Mail+ app, was changed to one of Mr Serra online 47 minutes after publication, while the original picture of Mr Vince remained in the print version. An employment tribunal in 2022 heard Mr Serra had made sexist comments to a female colleague which were found to amount to unlawful harassment related to sex. Mr Vince claimed ANL misused his personal data and that the publication of his photograph with this story would lead readers to believe he had been accused of sexual harassment. ANL had defended the claim, with its lawyers previously telling the High Court in London that it was an abuse of process and a 'resurrection' of a libel claim that was dismissed last year. In a judgment on Monday, a High Court judge threw out the data protection claim. Mr Justice Swift said: 'There is no real prospect that Mr Vince will succeed on his claim. 'As in the defamation proceedings, it is accepted that on reading the text of the article published in Mail+ and the Daily Mail any ordinary reader would very quickly realise that Mr Vince was not being accused of sexual harassment. 'Considered on this basis the personal data relating to Mr Vince was processed fairly.' He said there was 'every reason' why the data protection claim should have been heard with the defamation claim last year. 'Both claims arose out of the same event, the publication of the article in Mail+ and the Daily Mail,' he added. 'Both claims rely on the same factual circumstances, namely the juxtaposition of the headline, photographs and caption, and the contention that the combination of the headline and the photograph created the misleading impression that Mr Vince had been accused of sexual harassment.' Following the decision, Mr Vince said he planned to appeal. He said: 'What we're dealing with here is a media law that predates the internet. Think about that. Essentially, UK law says that people read entire articles and not just headlines. 'We all know this is untrue, the internet has changed everything, modern attention spans are famously small and shrinking, dwell times on articles are measured in seconds and media organisations have an abundance of data on this.' He continued: 'The judge said if you read the whole story, you'd realise the headline was not about me, begging the question why was my face highlighted in the articles perhaps. 'But more importantly, people don't read entire articles, the law assumes it – but does so wrongly, against all data and against common sense.'
