Activists hint at return after first demos in city
POLICE said they ‘minimised disruption’ caused by Insulate Britain protesters in two demos after the group attempted to bring traffic in the city centre to a standstill.
Activists in high-vis jackets disrupted traffic by Paradise Circus, at the junction of Great Charles Street, hours after blocking the route during the morning rush-hour – and have hinted they may return.
Angry members of the public confronted them, with one young man caught on camera aggressively grabbing a banner before stamping on it, screwing it up and running off with it.
Other motorists honked horns, shouted obscenities and one man called them “f***ing selfish.”
West Midlands Police said they were at the scene of demos at 9am and 1pm on Tuesday, November 2, as they attempted to keep “disruption to a minimum.”
“Today we’ve had two demonstrations focused on Great Charles Street Queensway,” said Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby.
“We were called to reports of a group of around 20 activists just before 9am, and had officers on the scene within minutes.
“We spoke to the activists about their intentions - and
they were making their point by moving into the road when traffic lights turned red, and back onto the pavement when the lights were green.
“The disruption caused was minimal, and the activists left the scene within two hours. “A second group of around 40 activists arrived at the same junction just before 1pm and again used the same methods as before.
“Given that they were a larger group, and the disruption to the city was increasing, we directed them to stop walking on to
the road. They complied and dispersed within around 30 minutes of the second event starting. Our goal was to minimise disruption and prevent harm coming to any member of the public, and we’ve achieved that. Our policing operation continues this evening and we will be ready to swiftly respond to any further issues.”
Protesters are demanding the Government properly insulate British homes - and have strongly hinted at further action in the coming days.
Around 60 members of the controversial group were involved in protests in Birmingham, Manchester and London. One of them, Budah, 58, from Birmingham,
said: “We are protesting against our very toxic government. They don’t listen to ordinary protest.
“The only thing they notice is when we cause disruption. We are really sorry.” He said the group would not rule out creating even more chaos at a later date. “We are all autonomous in our groups and we decide on the actions we are going to take. Nobody dictates to us and says you must do this. We have regular meetings, we get together, we talk.”
Asked if the group would return to Birmingham, Budah added: “I’m not ruling out anything. We could possibly be back.”