Tofu-munching wokerati at fault for road protests says Braverman
THE Home Secretary has blamed the “Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati” for the Just Stop Oil chaos.
Suella Braverman said opposition MPS’ refusal to support a clampdown on road-blocking protests had left the police and highway agencies without the powers they needed.
“I’m afraid it’s the Labour Party, the Lib Dems, the coalition of chaos, the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati, dare I say, the anti-growth coalition we have to thank for the disruption we are seeing on our roads,” she told MPS during the third reading of the Government’s public order bill.
The proposals, ditched from the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act after opposition in the Lords, create offences of obstructing major transport works and interfering with key infrastructure as well as giving Secretaries of State powers to issue injunctions.
Ms Braverman urged police to act more “proactively” in removing protesters from roads.
Her comments came as two Just Stop Oil protesters last night agreed to end a two-day stunt in Dartford, Kent.
The activists scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at 5am on Monday, then suspended themselves in hammocks and forced the crossing to close.
It led to more than six miles of congestion which Essex Police struggled to resolve for a second day yesterday.
The bridge is also close to Darent Valley Hospital, meaning police have had to liaise with the NHS to ensure the stunt does not affect critical services.
Tempers boiled over on Monday after a video emerged apparently showing someone on the Kent side letting off fireworks towards the protesters, who will be arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance, the police said.
Transport for London yesterday secured an injunction which will enable Just Stop Oil protesters to be removed from key roads in the capital.