Dozens of Just Stop Oil protestors arrested on Cromwell Road

Images above: Just Stop Oil activists are arrested by Met Police officers

Dozens of Cromwell Road protestors arrested 

In the latest demonstration by Just Stop Oil, dozens of protestors were arrested after a slow march in Earl’s Court, Cromwell Road on Wednesday 1 November. Just Stop Oil said around 40 were arrested after their slow march along West Cromwell Road, a major thoroughfare connecting several west London Tube stations, including Barons Court and West Kensington.

The Metropolitan Police responded swiftly to reports of the disruption, arriving at the scene within four minutes.

According to the Met Police, arrests were made under the authority of Section Seven of the Public Order Act (2023). The force issued a statement shortly before 9.30am, saying:

“Officers are arresting some of the activists for breaching Section Seven of the Public Order Act (2023). Other activists are leaving the road of their own accord.”

While the precise number of arrests has not yet been confirmed, officers indicated it exceeded 30.

Rachel White, a participant in the demonstration and a mental health worker from Rochford, expressed her frustration at the climate crisis and the lack of action. She said:

“I have tried standing as a candidate for the Green Party, I have tried signing petitions, writing to MPs, attending COP 26, but nothing’s changed. In fact, it’s gotten worse, and so I can no longer be a bystander.”

This incident follows a previous protest in Parliament Square on Monday (30 October), during which 62 Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested after dozens of demonstrators lay down in the road near Parliament Square in Westminster around 10.00am. Officers arrived within four minutes of receiving reports of the disruption and took action under section seven of the Public Order Act.

In a separate legal development, 12 Just Stop Oil supporters were spared jail on Monday for Contempt of Court. They had breached an injunction related to protest actions on the M25. Theresa Norton and Mair Bain received suspended sentences, as they admitted prior knowledge of the National Highways Injunction when they climbed gantries on the busy motorway. Ten other activists did not receive a penalty.

Mr Justice Soole, presiding over the case, found that these ten activists had not been made aware of an injunction by a Just Stop Oil mentor prior to the protest. He described this omission as a “significant failure and breach of trust.”

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