Hysterical activists

Despite the fact that Britain is pledged to reduce carbon emissions faster than most other leading economies, activists continue to cause mayhem on the roads, demanding even swifter action. Yesterday, protesters from Just Stop Oil brought the M25 to a halt by climbing on overhead gantries, whereupon the police stopped traffic while they dealt with them. The campaigners were in breach of a court order that they felt entitled to ignore. Their hysterical claims that a catastrophe is imminent are causing unfounded distress among young people.

Under the High Court injunction, it is unlawful to assist anyone seeking to block the M25. So the police tried to forestall the protest by arresting the group’s ring-leaders in advance, only for others to carry on with the action. Nonetheless, the police and the courts appear finally to be trying to get to grips with this spate of unlawful activity. Motorists will still not fully understand why those who choose to climb onto overhead gantries are not just left there while the road remains open; but as protesters are charged and imprisoned, their numbers should dwindle.

While legitimate protest must be allowed in a free society, the activities of Just Stop Oil do not fall into that category. They are also self-defeating, since they alienate people otherwise sympathetic to the idea of lower carbon emissions. The great danger with the authorities not enforcing the law is that the public will take matters into their own hands. The police and the courts have better things to do than to pander to the self-righteous antics of these largely middle-class activists, who seem to be not so much opposed to CO2 emissions as to all economic activity.