WOMEN’S WAR ON ECO-MOB
Patience of drivers finally snaps as Insulate Britain block roads for 13th time
INSULATE Britain eco-zealots reaped the whirlwind for their actions yesterday as women motorists reacted with fury.
A mother trying to take her son to school was among drivers who the law into their own hands and confronted protesters blocking roads for the 13th time in a month.
She threatened to drive at the activists, while two women helped drag some of the mob out of the way.
The ugly scenes were sparked when Insulate Britain blocked an M25 sliproad and a major junction in Essex. In a dangerous development, one trucker used his HGV to push back protesters standing on the carriageway.
Last night a Government source condemned growing levels of vigilante action by drivers, but said they ‘understood’ their frustration.
About 40 demonstrators ran on to the road by traffic lights at junction 31 of the M25 near Thurrock and at a nearby junction in Purfleet just before 8.30am.
The mother on the school run told the activists she would ‘drive straight through’ them. She swore at the protesters, yelling: ‘Out of the way, move out of the way now. My son needs to get to school, I don’t care what the f ****** issue is. My son is 11, he to get to school today, so move out the way and let me get my son to school.
‘Do you think I care? I’ll drive straight through you.’
A woman was heard telling her ‘careful, careful, careful’ and a man was heard pleading with her ‘don’t, don’t, don’t’.
A protester retorted: ‘Are you going to kill us? Are you going to kill us to get your son to school?’
In other confrontations, motorists including two women dragged activists out of the way. A woman driving a Toyota Auris shouted angrily in an eastern European language at a protester before pulling her from the road. Another motorist later wrote a message to her online, saying: ‘Well done for removing idiots from the road. You’re my hero.’
One man was seen ripping Insulate Britain banners from protesters’ hands, while the driver of a white HGV nudged forward, forcing several banner-holding activists to retreat and prompting another protester to lie down in front of the lorry.
One male motorist repeatedly dragged two grey-haired male protesters from the road, only for them to shuffle back in front of his car. Another driver said: ‘This is not helping. This is going to gridlock the whole area. You’ve made your point.
‘My business is on its knees – we’ve got massive haulage problems in the UK.’
One motorist told LBC: ‘I’ve lost my job interview because of these lot here, for a
‘I’ve lost my job interview due to this’
skip driver. Look at this lot, none of them work, they’re all retired. I’ve been told, I’ve lost it because I’m too late I’m an hour late because of this lot. I’ve got two young children.’ Police arrived at both protests within minutes and made 35 arrests.
Retired vicar the Rev Sue Parfitt, 79, a regular Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion activist, was among those held.
She has already been arrested at other M25 protests on September 13, 21 and 29.
A Government source said: ‘Vigilante action should be utterly condemned. It adds even more danger to an already volatile and dangerous situation. But it is understandable that people become frustrated when faced with these intransigent, irrational and destructive protests.’
Essex Police said: ‘Our officers have acted quickly to make 35 arrests and get traffic moving following reports of people blocking the road in two locations in Thurrock.
‘Officers were on scene within five minutes. We were able to keep one lane open to allow traffic to keep moving and were then able to reopen all lanes shortly after. We were then called to reports of people blocking Stonehouse Lane, Purfleet.’
Insulate Britain, an offshoot of environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion calling for homes to be better insulated, began its protests on September 13. Supporter Dr Diana Warner claimed the group is winning support from the travelling public.
‘Many people are going out of their way to thank us,’ she said yesterday. ‘We haven’t yet given up. We are still pushing for lifesaving changes.’