Watch: UK activists block crowded traffic around London

London:

Despite police making pre-emptive arrests, crowded motorway traffic around London stopped on Monday after climate activists climbed overhead gantrys.

The Just Stop Oil group, which wants the UK government to halt new oil and gas extraction, said its members had blocked traffic at at least six places on the M25 motorway, which encircles the British capital.

The latest demonstration comes as world leaders gather for the UN’s COP27 climate summit in Egypt, where governments are under pressure to step up efforts to combat global warming.

Just Stop Oil, which has been holding disruptive protests all year, said it told police late on Sunday its plans to climb the gantry on the country’s busiest motorway.

Just Stop Oil spokesman Indigo Rumbledo said it has the legal right to “create disruption to prevent further losses”.

“After 30 years of public debate, lobbying and petitioning… we are still on our way to a devastating climate breakout and we have nowhere else to go,” he said.

Indigo Rumbledo, 28, spokesperson for Just Stop Oil from London, said:

“What did you expect? This government is engaging in an illegal and unconstitutional plan to issue more licenses and consents for new oil and gas – a plan that would take the world more than 1.5°C…#COP27#M25pic.twitter.com/RzKoVCKcoO

— JustStop Oil ️💀🛢 (@JustStop_Oil) 7 November 2022

The government is in the process of passing legislation to crack down on direct action protests.

London’s Metropolitan Police said it had launched a “significantly proactive police campaign” late on Sunday to identify and arrest people it believed “caused reckless and serious disruption to the public”. intended to do”.

The force said three persons were arrested on Sunday evening and four others were arrested on Monday morning on charges of conspiring to create public nuisance.

Other police forces responsible for the affected areas on the M25 said the arrests were made early Monday after officers were forced to block traffic to remove activists.

The Met’s assistant commissioner Matt Twist said he has used more than 10,000 officer shifts at the Police Just Stop Oil protests since early October.

“These are officers who would otherwise deal with issues important to local communities, such as responding to knife crime, security and theft,” he said.

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