Eco protesters have blocked two service stations on the M25 during rush hour and sabotaged petrol pumps.
Roughly 35 activists from protest group Just Stop Oil blocked the filling station at Cobham Services in Surrey and the Clacket Lane Services in Kent at around 7am.
Protesters have blocked the entrances to the petrol pump area by sitting in the road with banners at both locations.
A statement from the eco group admits that ‘some supporters also sabotaged the petrol pump by breaking the display glass and covering it with spray paint’.
Protesters from the group, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, have recently occupied a number of oil processing facilities in order to highlight their demand that the government stops new oil and gas projects.
Activists from protest group Just Stop Oil block the filling station at Cobham Services on the M25 in Surrey
Activists from Just Stop Oil damage pumps at the filling station at Cobham Services
Campaigners staging a protest in the BP petrol garage at the Clacket Lane services on the M25 in Westerham, Kent
Protesters from the group, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion , have recently occupied a number of oil processing facilities in order to highlight their demand that the government stops new oil and gas projects (pictured: Cobham today)
Police officers speak to eco activists in the Shell petrol garage at the Cobham Services on the M25 in Cobham, Surrey
Nathan McGovern, 22 a student from Coventry taking part in the demonstration, said: ‘The world’s most vulnerable are dying from a fossil-fuelled nightmare right now, whilst our government proposes to drill for more oil and gas.
‘I refuse to stand by and watch as heatwaves and drought murder people across the global South and families in the UK are forced to choose between eating and heating.
‘If politicians and bureaucrats refuse to act then it falls on ordinary people to do what they will not.’
In a video uploaded to the @JustStop_Oil Twitter account, he says: ‘I’m Nathan, I’m 22 years old, and just now this morning myself and others have blocked the entrance to the forecourt of this petrol station and disabled the petrol station.
‘None of us want to be here, none of us want to be doing this, none of us want to be disrupting the lives of the public but the criminal inaction on the climate crisis from our government has forced us into this.’
He adds: ‘This is madness, it is utterly genocidal.’
Another protester, 34-year-old Stephanie Golder – a charity project coordinator from Essex – said: ‘I’m sick and tired of being treated like a criminal for standing up for what is right.
Campaigners staging a protest in the BP petrol garage at the Clacket Lane services on the M25 today
A statement from the eco group admits that ‘some supporters also sabotaged the petrol pump by breaking the display glass and covering it with spray paint’
Roughly 35 activists from protest group Just Stop Oil blocked the filling station at Cobham Services in Surrey and the Clacket Lane Services in Kent at around 7am (pictured: The smashed petrol pump)
Protesters from the group, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, have recently occupied a number of oil processing facilities in order to highlight their demand that the government stops new oil and gas projects
‘The real criminals are those refusing to act on the climate emergency, it’s truly genocidal for our government to give new licences for oil exploration.
‘The poorest in this country need help with their energy bills now. But instead the government’s energy strategy fails to mention energy saving measures such as insulation and instead prioritises a ”plan” which puts us on a fast-track for climate chaos.’
Just Stop Oil reveals that since April 1, when activists first began blocking oil terminals, there have been more than 1,000 arrests.
‘The supporters of Just Stop Oil will continue the disruption until the government makes a statement that it will end new oil and gas projects in the UK,’ the group said.
‘The Just Stop Oil Coalition is calling on all of those whose futures are being destroyed, who are facing poverty now, and who are outraged at yet another betrayal by this continuing dependence on oil and gas, to step up and take action.’
Source: Daily Mail
