Cuffed and held, driver who barged eco zealots off road
A FURIOUS motorist delayed by climate change roadblocks pushed two protesters from the road but found himself being handcuffed by police yesterday.
Activists from Just Stop Oil brought routes across London to a halt by walking slowly in the road, causing numerous clashes with irate drivers.
Several motorists were filmed snatching banners and pushing protesters from the road and one motorcyclist was seen trying to drive through a group of activists.
The man who shoved two protesters on Blackfriars Bridge was handcuffed and detained on suspicion of common assault but not arrested, Scotland Yard said.
Footage shows the man, dressed in bright orange trousers and a grey hoodie, haul one protester to the ground before pushing another.
Two police officers then dash over and begin grappling with him, eventually cuffing his hands behind his back.
Scotland Yard deputy assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said his behaviour was unacceptable and insisted that officers responded proportionately.
‘They detained the man in handcuffs to prevent further breach of the peace,’ he continued.
‘They took his details, will review evidence and interview the male – who was not arrested – with a view to further police action as necessary.’
Sharing footage of the altercation on Twitter, the Just Stop Oil account said: ‘This is an impossible situation. Do we disrupt other ordinary people, like this man, arrested for lashing out today, or just sit back and watch everything burn?
‘That’s where our Government left us. More and more people are realising taking action is the right thing to do.’
Earlier in the day the group also disrupted oil giant Shell’s annual meeting of shareholders.
The activists said 45 people marched on three major routes over Blackfriars Bridge, London Bridge and Tower Bridge, as the group demanded no new gas, oil or coal projects in Britain.
Mr Taylor insisted that he completely understood the frustration caused by protesters walking slowly in the roads and why motorists wondered why they were not simply arrested.
‘Police have legal obligations connected with our response to protest and we must police peacehas ful protest in a proportionate manner,’ he added.
‘Any interventions must be necessary and in discharge of a policing power and balance the rights of the protesters against the rights of the wider public.’
There have been 30 arrests of climate change activists in London since April 24, but it is unclear how many were made yesterday.
It marked the start of Just Stop Oil’s fifth week of daily slow marches in central London.
The strategy of causing road delays by ‘slow marching’ could be outlawed in the coming months with proposals tabled for debate in the House of Lords on June 13, though no date is set for consideration in the Commons.
And Home Secretary Suella Braverman has vowed to stop ‘ selfish, disruptive protesters’ from ‘wreaking havoc in people’s everyday lives’.
‘We understand the frustration’