Plans to blockade Parly in eco fight
Thousands of eco-warriors plan to blockade Parliament unless the Government halts new oil and gas exploration.
It is part of a series of nationwide protests starting on October 1. The demos, which could last weeks, are being led by Just Stop Oil.
One organiser, ecologist Emma Smart, 44, from Weymouth, Dorset, told a meeting this week: “Thousands of people will be blockading Westminster every single day until we get a government response. We will block week after week, for as long as it takes.
“Nothing is going to change until thousands engage in civil disobedience. We need to mobilise people for the big march and the start of mass continued civil disobedience at Westminster – the centre of power, the centre of failure.
“This is going to be the biggest civil disobedience campaign in UK history.” Ahead of the protests, which could result in mass arrests and cost millions of pounds, the group is holding weekly talks and “nonviolent training sessions”.
So far, it claims to have recruited 1000 people for the Westminster protest.
The blockade will start on the day thousands have vowed to stop paying energy bills until they are reduced “to an affordable level”.
Tuesday’s Just Stop Oil meeting was attended by exLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn and naturalist Chris Packham.
Corbyn said: “Pretty well every energy company has announced record profits at the same time as energy bills are going up.
“You cannot stop climate change without system change. That means you have to change an economy based on the endless exploitation of natural resources and endless profiteering.”
The Government said:
“We will not bend to the will of activists who naively want to extinguish North Sea oil and gas. Doing so would put energy security and jobs at risk, and increase imports, while not reducing demand.”