Environmental protesters from the Just Stop Oil campaign blocked roads leading to Vauxhall Bridge on Friday, marking the seventh consecutive day of disruptive action in central London. Around two dozen demonstrators glued themselves to the road and displayed banners, demanding a moratorium on all new oil and gas projects.
The protest coincided with the government's announcement of a new licensing round for fossil fuel exploration in the North Sea. The North Sea Transition Authority offered 898 blocks of the UK seabed for exploration, a move defended by Climate Minister Graham Stuart as "actually good for the environment."
Grace Lally, a 43-year-old childcare worker and mother of two from Hastings, was among the protesters. She said: "We all know the science and the facts, so our leaders who are doing nothing to transition away from fossil fuels are either fools or psychopaths. Either way, I’m not prepared to let them lead us over a cliff without putting up a fight."
According to the Metropolitan Police, 35 people were arrested on Sunday, 59 on Tuesday, 24 on Wednesday, and 32 on Thursday in connection with the protests. On Friday, 13 people were arrested for wilful obstruction of the highway. No arrests were made on Saturday or Monday despite further disruptive actions.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: "We will continue in civil resistance because it is the right thing to do when faced with a harmful government. The coming weeks will see the disruption in the capital increase until the government makes a statement to end new oil and gas."
The Met stated that officers safely removed all protesters who had glued themselves to the road at the junction of Vauxhall Bridge and Gillingham Street.
