Two people were arrested by the police.
Climate protesters have become a daily sight on London’s streets, undeterred by the honking horns of irate motorists, personal insults and even arrest. This time around, the ‘Just Stop Oil’ protester sprayed orange paint on he Department for Energy Security and Net Zero building and demanded “that the UK government immediately halts all new licences and consents for new oil, gas and coal projects”, as per a report in the Independent.
The incident took place around 7:30 am on July 19. In the video posted by the organisation itself, a man and a woman can be seen using using a fire-extinguisher shaped object to spray the orange paint all over the building. Paserbys can be seen recording video of the two protesters but nobody seemed to stop them.
🚨 BREAKING: Just Stop Oil Paint the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
🦺 This morning, 2 supporters of Just Stop Oil have painted the department responsible for issuing over 100 new oil and gas licences in the UK.
🖋️ Sign up to take action at https://t.co/7BzUVS02dZpic.twitter.com/wQwHVKoN8K
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) July 19, 2023
As per the Metropolitan Police, “officers were called to reports of two people spraying paint on a building on Victoria Street at 07:34hrs, and two people were arrested for causing criminal damage”.
Just Stop Oil has been in the news with its high-profile direct-action protests, such as disrupting Premier League football matches and sporting events, to publicise their cause. They have thrown tomato soup on famous paintings and glued themselves to picture frames in galleries. They want the government to end all new oil and gas exploration and have promised not to let up in its protests until it does so.
A few days ago, the wedding of George Osborne, the UK’s Former Chancellor of the Exchequer and newspaper editor, was also disrupted by a Just Stop Oil protester who threw orange confetti on the couple. As soon as the couple left the church, a grey-haired woman wearing a floral dress showered them with orange confetti.
The group shared a statement saying that the woman who threw confetti was upholding a tradition that is common across many cultures. “We absolutely defend the right for people to throw confetti (of whatever colour) at weddings and other celebrations. If it was a form of protest – which is yet to be established – we applaud it and thank the person concerned. It was peaceful and not especially disruptive, but got massive media attention for Just Stop Oil’s demand,” it said.
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