The group was founded in February 2022[4] and began protesting at English oil terminals in April 2022.[5] The group has received criticism for its disruptive and often illegal methods of activism.[6][7][8][9]
Views and methods
Just Stop Oil opposes the United Kingdom government granting new fossil fuel licensing and production agreements;[3] on its website, it calls for the government to stop all future consents and licensing agreements related to the development, exploration, and production of fossil fuels in the country.[10] The group supports investment in renewable energy, and says that buildings need to have better thermal insulation to avoid wasting energy.[11]
The group describes itself as decentralised and non-hierarchical, with activists in the group operating in autonomous blocs that share resources but have no formal leadership.[12]
In January 2024, at a meeting at the Old Print Works in Birmingham, Just Stop Oil was constituted as one of four groups under a central coordinating group called Umbrella. The other three groups under 'Umbrella' are: Assemble, Robin Hood, and Youth Demand.[2]
Funding
Just Stop Oil reports that all their funding is through donations,[12] with the group accepting both traditional currency and cryptocurrencies.[14] In April 2022, it was reported that Just Stop Oil's primary source of funding was donations from the US-based Climate Emergency Fund.[15] Through that fund, a notable donor to the group has been Aileen Getty, a descendant of the Getty family which founded the Getty Oil company.[16] In response, the Climate Emergency Fund stated that Getty did not work in the fossil fuel industry herself.[8]
In October 2023, green energy industrialist Dale Vince, who had donated over £340,000 to Just Stop Oil,[17][18] announced he no longer planned to fund Just Stop Oil. He said: "under the current government, protest cannot work. I would go so far as to say that anything that could feed the Tories' culture-war narrative is counter-productive".[19]
Reception
The group has garnered criticism for their protest methods, such as blocking roads and vandalism.[6][7][8] The group has a "blue light policy" to let emergency vehicles through traffic blocks created by protesters.[20] On 14 June 2023, the British Government gave the police additional powers to tackle slow-walking protests by Just Stop Oil who have used the tactic to bring traffic to a standstill.[21] In response to a proposed update to the Public Order Act, the group vowed to continue protesting as long as capital punishment is not imposed against them.[22]
According to the group, from 1 April 2022 to 27 May 2023, its supporters have been arrested over 2,100 times and 138 people have spent time in prison.[23]Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley suggested that Just Stop Oil was being "much less assertive" in its protests following the arrests of some suspected prominent members of the group.[24]
As of November 2022, eight credentialled journalists have been arrested while covering Just Stop Oil protests.[25] These include an LBC reporter who was arrested and held in a cell for five hours;[26] a documentary maker who was arrested and detained for thirteen hours;[27] and a photographer.[28]Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, responded to the arrests saying, "Journalists shouldn't get arrested for doing their job", and "We are defenders of free speech."[25] In 2023, BBC News reported that climate activists were being referred to the prevent strategy, a counterterrorism scheme aimed at identifying extremists.[29]
On 20 March, two supporters attempted to disrupt a football match at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London, but were intercepted. On 21 March, one supporter stopped play at a football match at Goodison Park in Liverpool when he ran onto the pitch and cable tied himself to a goalpost by his neck.[3][31][32] The following day, one supporter briefly made it onto the pitch at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton.[33] On 24 March, six supporters attempted to disrupt a match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London. All were removed quickly, but the match was briefly stopped.[34]
Oil company protests and sabotage
Beginning on 1 April, they carried out England-wide blockades of ten critical oil facilities, intending to cut off the supply of petrol to South East England.[35][36][37] They claimed they were inspired by the UK lorry drivers' protests in 2000 that paralysed petrol distribution.[3] On 14 April, Just Stop Oil activists stopped and surrounded an oil tanker in London, causing congestion on the M4 motorway.[38] On 15 April, supporters targeted Kingsbury, Navigator and Grays oil terminals, blockading roads and climbing onto oil tankers.[39][40][41] The same day it was reported that Navigator Thames, ExxonMobil, and Valero had secured civil injunctions to prevent protest at their oil terminals.[42][43] On 19 April, Just Stop Oil suspended its actions against fuel distribution for a week in the hope of action from the government.[44] On 28 April, about 35 Just Stop Oil supporters sabotaged petrol pumps at two M25 motorway service stations (Cobham services in Surrey and Clacket Lane services in Kent).[45][46][47]
British Grand Prix
On 3 July, a group of Just Stop Oil supporters walked onto the track at the 2022 British Grand Prix after the race had been suspended due to a crash on the opening lap and sat down on the asphalt. They were arrested by police. Formula One drivers Sergio Pérez, Lewis Hamilton, and Carlos Sainz said they supported the protestors' cause but that they should not have put themselves at risk of physical harm. F1 president Stefano Domenicali criticised the protesting method and did not comment on the cause.[48] Before the event, the Northamptonshire Police warned they had "creditable intelligence" that a group of protesters were planning to disrupt the race and potentially attempt a track invasion and that the protest would be related to environmental issues, but the warning did not mention Just Stop Oil by name.[49]
Two supporters glued themselves to the frame of John Constable's 1821 painting The Hay Wain at the National Gallery in London on 4 July.[51] They covered the painting with a printed illustration that reimagined The Hay Wain as an "apocalyptic vision of the future" that depicted "the climate collapse and what it will do to this landscape".[52] The two people were subsequently arrested by police and the painting was removed for examination by conservators.[52]
Protestors with hands glued to the frame of daVinci's The Last Supper (July 2022)
A group of supporters glued themselves to the frame of a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper painting at the Royal Academy of Arts on 5 July.[53] 'No New Oil' was spray painted on a wall underneath the painting.[53] In February 2023, these activists were fined £486 each for causing unintended criminal damage but found not guilty to a further charge of causing damage to a piece of furniture that they had not been near.[54]
On 14 October, two Just Stop Oil protesters, Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, threw tomato soup at the fourth version of Vincent van Gogh's 1888 work, The Arles Sunflowers, in the National Gallery, and then glued their hands to the wall below the painting before delivering a verbal statement. The painting was protected by glass, a factor Just Stop Oil said they had taken into account,[55][56] and was not damaged; however, the frame, itself of significant value, suffered some slight damage.[57][55][58][59] The rotating sign outside Scotland Yard was also spray-painted orange. More than 20 arrests were made.[60][61] This act of vandalism garnered much less sympathy compared to Just Stop Oil's earlier protests.[62] A witness said to The Guardian, "They may be trying to get people to think about the issues but all they end up doing is getting people really annoyed and angry."[63] Emma Camp with Reason magazine reported that "The protest was probably ineffective on its own terms too. Throwing a can of tomato soup at a precious work of art has little to do with fighting fossil fuels."[64][8]Vox noted that "...much of the media and public attention was negative, with many questioning the efficacy of the protest and criticising the protesters for hurting their own cause."[65] Others defended the actions of the protesters.[66]Margaret Klein Salamon, executive director of the Climate Emergency Fund, an organisation that funds Just Stop Oil, said that the Sunflowers protest was the most successful action in the climate movement in 8 years as it had broken through "this really terrible media landscape where you have this mass delusion of normalcy".[67]
Plummer and Holland were charged with criminal damage after causing £10,000 worth of damage to the gold-coloured frame of the glass-covered painting, and were jailed for 2 years and 20 months, respectively.[68][69] When sentencing the judge added that "You clearly think your beliefs give you the right to commit crimes when you feel like it. You do not."[68]
On 27 October, three Belgian protesters of Just Stop Oil Belgium (not affiliated with Just Stop Oil) glued themselves to the surrounds of Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer at Mauritshuis museum in the Netherlands. The painting, protected by glass, was not damaged.[70] The three were subsequently sentenced to two months in prison, with one month suspended by a Dutch court.[71] Two years later, The Hague Court of Appeal issued a statement on 11 March 2024 ruling that the protesters would no longer face any punishment for their actions. The ruling stated that the protesters spent 23 days in pre-trial detention, believing that a prison sentence would be "too drastic" and would have a "chilling effect" on the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly.[71]
London protests
On 26 August, the group blocked seven petrol stations in Central London and vandalised fuel pumps.[72][73] Forty-three people around London were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.[74][75]
Around October, Just Stop Oil started a months-long protest in London.[76] Throughout the period members blocked roads and bridges in London,[77] including in Islington,[78]Abbey Road,[79]High Holborn/Kingsway,[80] four bridges across the Thames,[81]Westminster,[82][83] as well as the M25 motorway. Just Stop Oil staged 32 days of disruption from the end of September and throughout October, which the Metropolitan Police said resulted in 677 arrests with 111 people charged.[84]
On 17 October, two supporters scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which connects the M25 between Essex and Kent, causing its closure. One of the climbers, Morgan Trowland, was a bridge design engineer from London.[85] The closure resulted in six miles (ten kilometres) of congestion on both directions of the bridge.[86][87] After 36 hours, the protesters agreed with police to leave the bridge, and were arrested. The bridge remained closed for another 6 hours.[88][89] The two were sentenced to a combined 5 years and seven months in jail.[90][91] Also on 17 October, the group spray-painted the exterior of an Aston Martin car showroom on Park Lane, prompting criticism from Richard Hammond.[92][93]
On 20 October, about 20 members spray-painted the exterior windows of Harrods in Knightsbridge. Two members of the group were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.[94][95]
On 25 October, protesters sprayed paint on 55 Tufton Street, a building housing climate change denial think tanks.[97] On 26 October, police arrested more than a dozen activists who blocked Piccadilly and spray-painted luxury car showrooms in Mayfair.[98]
On 31 October, activists targeted buildings used by the Home Office, MI5, the Bank of England and News Corp, spraying orange paint on each and demanding an end to new oil and gas licences. The targets were chosen because they represent "the four pillars that support and maintain the power of the fossil fuel economy", the group said. Six people were arrested by the Metropolitan Police.[99]
On 7 November, multiple junctions of the M25 motorway were closed.[100] On 11 November, the group announced it would pause its protests on the M25.[101][102] In November, 57-year-old Jan Goodey from Brighton was jailed for six months after pleading guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance after taking part in this protest.[103]
In July 2024, five environmental protesters associated with the group were given multi-year prison sentences in the UK for their roles in planning the protest. Roger Hallam, a co-founder of the group, received a five-year sentence, while four other activists were sentenced to four years each. They were convicted of "conspiracy to cause a public nuisance".[104][105] These sentences were among the harshest ever handed down for peaceful protest in the UK, sparking widespread criticism from various quarters, including Amnesty International[105] and the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders Michel Forst said that the outcome "should shock the conscience of any member of the public".[106]
2023
Sporting events
On 17 April, during evening sessions at the 2023 World Snooker Championship, two protesters attempted to climb onto two tables at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, disrupting first-round matches between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry and between Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi. One protester climbed onto the table where Milkins was playing Perry and spread an orange powder on it, halting play on that table for the night after efforts to remove the powder failed. Another protester failed to climb onto the table where Allen was playing Fan, after being restrained by referee Olivier Marteel. Both protesters were arrested. The match between Fan and Allen resumed after a 45-minute delay and the match between Milkins and Perry was rescheduled to begin again the following day.[107]
Protesters forced a stoppage at the 27 May Rugby Premiership final between Saracens and Sale Sharks by invading the pitch and throwing orange paint powder on the field.[108][109] Two men were later charged by the Metropolitan Police with aggravated trespass.[109]
On 1 June, prior to the eve of the one-off Test match between England and Ireland, the England cricket team bus was briefly halted by Just Stop Oil protestors during the team's way when they were set to reach the Lord's ground.[110][111] England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow shared images on Instagram of Just Stop Oil activists who had disrupted England's team bus.[112] On 28 June, the second Test of the 2023 Ashes series between England and Australia at Lord's was briefly interrupted by Just Stop Oil protestors who ran onto the outfield with bags of orange powder, but were stopped before reaching the wicket, one being carried off by Bairstow.[113] Three protestors were arrested.[114]
On 5 July, two protesters interrupted a tennis match at the 136th Wimbledon Championships by throwing orange confetti and jigsaw pieces onto the court.[115]
On 17 July, one of the protesters who had disrupted play during the World Snooker Championship attempted to disrupt their own graduation ceremony at University of Exeter along with another individual.[116]
On 21 July, during the 151st Open Championship at Hoylake, 4 protesters attempted to disrupt play, by running onto the 17th hole, setting off a flare, and throwing orange powder onto the green. They were later arrested by police.[117]
Other protests
Three protesters were arrested on 25 May after throwing orange paint over a show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.[118]
Five protesters were charged by police after halting the annual London Pride march on 1 July. They sat in front of the Coca-Cola float to protest about the company's use of plastics.[119]
On 8 July, a woman disrupted George Osborne's wedding by throwing orange confetti on Osborne and his wife as they left the ceremony. Just Stop Oil made statements calling the incident "Confettigate" and highlighting Osborne's environmental record during his stint as Chancellor.[120][121] A spokesperson for the group later said the protestor did not represent Just Stop Oil.[122]
On 21 July, a traffic disruption organised by Just Stop Oil in Acton, London during rush hour went viral for preventing a mother with a newborn child from driving to the hospital.[124]
On 15 October, three protesters disrupted a Tekken 7 tournament at EGX London by smearing and spraying orange paint on the competitors' computer monitors and the overhead display, demanding "that the UK government immediately cease all new licencing for coal, oil, and gas". The protesters were later removed by security and arrested by the police for criminal damage.[129]
On 18October, co-founders Roger Hallam and Indigo Rumbelow were arrested.[130]
On 25 October, three protesters were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after spraying the Wellington Arch with orange paint.[131]
On 30 October, 62 protesters were arrested after holding a demonstration near Parliament Square in Westminster.[133]
On 8 November, at least 40 protesters were arrested for disrupting traffic on Waterloo Bridge in Waterloo, London. The protest also garnered additional attention due to a claim from the Metropolitan Police that the protesters had blocked an ambulance flashing blue lights. Just Stop Oil accused the police of blaming the blockage on the organisation, claiming that the police officers were the ones blocking the ambulance. After the Waterloo Bridge demonstration was dispersed, five protesters from the group moved to The Strand and were arrested afterwards.[134]
2024
On 22 February, Labour and Co-operative Party politician Stella Creasy wrote an opinion piece in The Guardian in response to Just Stop Oil co-founder Sarah Lunnon's opinion piece in The Guardian justifying picketing at the homes of Labour PartyMembers of Parliament (MPs) in an effort to convince Labour MPs to end Tory oil and gas policies. Creasy warned that Just Stop Oil's intimidation tactics will normalise violence and harassment towards politicians and undermine democracy.[135]
On 27 March, Just Stop Oil posted a video on Twitter showing protester Phoebe Plummer breaking her bail by delivering a letter to what the organisation claimed was the house of Labour Party politician Wes Streeting. Streeting replied directly to the video stating that the home that Plummer visited and delivered the letter to was not his house.[136]
On 10 May, two women targeted Magna Carta in the British Library. Reverend Dr Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, an 85-year-old retired biology teacher, broke the glass container around the document with a hammer and chisel. They then held up a sign stating, "The government is breaking the law." However, the documents themselves were undamaged.[137][138][139][140]
On 27 September, hours after the sentencing of Plummer and Holland for their actions in 2022, three more activists from the group again attempted to douse the Sunflowers collection of paintings in coloured liquid and were arrested for their actions.[142]
Stonehenge
Protestors vandalising Stonehenge
In 2024, Just Stop Oil vandalised three of Stonehenge's stones. According to Just Stop Oil's website, the paint was made of an "orange cornflour" that would wash away in the rain.[143][144][145] Several bystanders shouted at and attempted to stop the activists. The two activists who defaced the structure were promptly arrested by Wiltshire Police. The paint was removed the following day with an air blower to avoid damaging the stones.
Just Stop Oil uploaded a video showing the defacement of the stones and the arrest of the activists involved and said that the activists "decorated" the stones to bring attention to the inability of the British government to "commit to defending our communities". The group also said that the date of the protest one day prior to the summer solstice intentionally coincided with the planned gathering on that day. English Heritage called the defacement "extremely upsetting" and began an investigation to assess the damage caused by the paint.[146] The English Heritage webpage for Stonehenge calls for visitors to respect the stones since they form a World Heritage Site, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and a place sacred to many.[147] Just Stop Oil named the arrested protesters as 21-year-old student Niamh Lynch and 73-year-old Rajan Naidu.[148][149][150]
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called it a "disgraceful act of vandalism" to one of the UK's and the world's oldest and most significant monuments, and called on anyone associated with Just Stop Oil or who donated to them to condemn the act. Leader of the Labour PartySir Keir Starmer called the damage "outrageous" while deeming Just Stop Oil as "pathetic", demanding that the activists and anyone else involved with the act "face the full force of the law".[151]
Archaeologist Mike Pitts expressed his strong concern over the potential damage, and said that the megaliths were fenced off and guarded to protect their surfaces, which were entirely covered in prehistoric markings that have not been fully analyzed. He also expressed concern about possible damage to the diverse lichen community growing on the megalith surfaces.[152][153] Conversely, Sarah Kerr, a lecturer in archaeology at University College Cork, said that the effects of climate change pose a much greater threat to Stonehenge than cornflour, writing, "if you worry about damage to British heritage you should listen to Just Stop Oil".[154]
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson responded to the outrage by stating that continued government inaction would entitle Just Stop Oil activists to recruit other European activists to acts of resistance, vaguely specifying that "Stone circles can be found in every part of Europe, showing how we've always cooperated across vast distances – we're building on that legacy."[151]
Disruption to airports
On 20 June, the protestors sprayed painted private jets at a private airfield at Stansted Airport. The group had been targeting a jet belonging to singer Taylor Swift, but could not locate it.[155]
During the week of 27 June, 27 people were arrested across the UK regarding alleged plans to conspire to disrupt national infrastructure including airports.[156] In a statement, Metropolitan Police, who arrested six people on 27 June, said "We know Just Stop Oil plan to disrupt airports and thousands of holidaymakers this summer",[157] adding "Anyone who disrupts the safety and security of an airport can expect to be dealt with swiftly and robustly."[158] Four of the arrests were made on 25 June after they had been identified at Gatwick Airport.[156] Bail conditions included "not travelling within one kilometre of any UK airport unless passing by while on a mode of transport."[158]
On 29 July, the group blocked departure gates at Gatwick Airport and seven people were arrested.[159]
^Batchelor, Tom (1 April 2022). "Protesters block oil terminals forcing Exxon Mobil to stop operations". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022. Hundreds of protesters from climate group Just Stop Oil blocked 10 critical oil terminals across the UK on Friday morning, climbing on top of fuel tankers and forcing Exxon Mobil, one of the country's largest privately owned underground oil pipeline distribution networks, to temporarily suspend operations at some of its sites.
^ abTownsend, Mark (15 October 2022). "Government to unveil crackdown on climate activism and strike action". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022. Home secretary Suella Braverman will unveil plans on Sunday to grant police new powers to take a more "proactive" approach to counter tactics favoured by climate activists such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion.
^Nevett, Joshua (13 June 2023). "Police to be given clearer powers on slow-walk protests". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023. The new law gives officers more leeway to intervene when protesters attempt to block roads with slow marching.
^"Just Stop Oil says only threat of death sentence would stop its protests". The Guardian. 21 October 2022. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022. UK climate activists have vowed to continue their disruptive protests until the government imposes the death penalty for their actions, as they signalled their contempt for a new bill aimed at curtailing their civil disobedience tactics.
^"Prevent: Rise in climate activists referred to anti-terror scheme". BBC News. 23 December 2023. Mat Osmond, who's a senior lecturer at Falmouth University in Cornwall, told the BBC his employer asked him to re-take Prevent training after he helped to organise a student Just Stop Oil talk on campus last year.
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