A key figure in the fuel demonstrations that paralyzed UK highways yesterday warned Boris Johnson today that he should be “worried” and said that “the general population was supporting us.”
During the morning rush hour, haulier Tariq Akram organized a moving blockage on the M180 between Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and Grimsby, Lincolnshire.
“Boris ought to be concerned,” he continued, noting that the public was backing us.
People who we didn’t anticipate participating did.
According to Mr. Akram, the Fuel Price Stand Against Tax (FPSAT) organization keeps one lane available on roads so that traffic can pass or emergency vehicles like police cars and ambulances can get through, unlike the Insulate Britain environmental warriors who plastered themselves to roads to close them.
The merchant claimed that instead of speeding through, numerous drivers joined the demonstration.
The general public would proceed for about a mile before moving on, he claimed. People that despise us will hit us, but thus far, the reaction has been more positive. People are expressing gratitude for what you did and for sticking up for us.
Due to concerns that this summer’s “go slow” protests could become extremely violent, FPSAT has advocated assembling in Parliament Square at noon on Friday, July 22, after driving slowly around the city during morning rush hour.
According to reports, the government is concerned that sluggish convoys on busy roads may start to happen frequently and herald the emergence of a new movement similar to the gilets jaunes across the English Channel, where working-class protesters wearing yellow vests shut down France over the country’s high cost of living and economic woes.
As she called for a “zero tolerance” policy and the employment of severe new powers to stop them, Priti Patel suggested that the drivers should be detained and charged.
Her attack came as a Tory MP expressed concern that growing resentment over the high cost of gas would result in blockades modeled after Canada’s “Freedom Convoys” that would target London.
The rising tide of ire should not be ignored, according to Conservative MP Robert Halfon, who urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to go beyond the 5p per litre gasoline price cut announced in March’s Spring Statement.
I don’t want anything that interferes with people’s daily life, he declared. However, I’m concerned that this is a sign of even more protests to come in the UK.
Truck drivers will descend on Parliament in a situation akin to that in Canada if we’re not careful.
Recent legislation increased the maximum punishment for “wilful blockage of a highway” to six months in prison and an infinite fine.
Previously, the penalty for the offense was merely a small fine of £100 to £150, which many eco-activists have had to pay in a number of cases where the sentencing judge even commended their dedication to environmental causes.
In one instance, after giving Insulate Britain supporters “another 10 minutes” to block a road in Birmingham, a police officer was shown on camera warning them to “just be careful” because “I don’t want to put nice people in a jail.”
However, yesterday’s fair fuel advocates were detained, had their cars towed, and were encircled by up to 100 police officers.
‘Priti Patel is going for us, but all we want is a fair deal on fuel so we can do our duties,’ a member of FPSAT told MailOnline.
Take a look at how the people protesting climate change have been handled. They create mayhem, are caught, and the next day are freed on bond so they can start all over again.
In some cases, climate activists have been detained numerous times in recent months only to reappear and blockade oil refineries, roads, and even British national treasures like Constable’s The Hay Wain at the National Gallery yesterday and a replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper at the Royal Academy of Arts in London today. Critics have criticized the “soft touch” approach police have taken against climate activists.
A mob broke into the British Grand Prix on Sunday at Silverstone, according to Martin Brundle, and might have “sliced them into 100 pieces” or killed a driver, fan, or racing official. Today, six people were charged, including Louis McKechnie, the mastermind behind Just Stop Oil and a John Lennon impersonator who has already been detained 20 times.
Twelve drivers were detained yesterday while driving slowly on the M4 between England and Wales, while a third driver was detained close to the A38 in Bristol. The A92 in Scotland, the M5 in Devon, the M32, the M180 in Lincolnshire, and the A64 close to York were also backed up.
Following the protests of yesterday, a petition to lower fuel taxes as the price of a litre of diesel and unleaded fuel reaches £2 a litre has smashed the 300,000 signature mark.
On Friday, July 22, supporters are urged to “meet your friends, congregate at Parliament Square, drive as slowly as you can, gridlock the entire city, bring it to its knees, aim is to stay and not move until we get action,” according to a post on the FPSAT Facebook page that MailOnline was able to view.
Yesterday, activists were surrounded by up to 100 police officers, and about a dozen people were detained on suspicion of driving at 10 mph instead of the prearranged 30 mph.
Also today: As Britain prepares for a discontented summer:
At the Royal Academy of Arts this afternoon, environmentalists from Just Stop Oil fastened themselves to the frame of a replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper;
Six people were arrested after the British Grand Prix track was invaded by Just Stop Oil environmental demonstrators, who had Gary Lineker and Lewis Hamilton’s support.
As train drivers earning up to £71,000 a year vote on industrial action involving ten firms, RMT Union boss Mick Lynch warns that the railways are in for the “fight of our lifetimes”;
Louis McKechnie, the Just Stop Oil movement’s charismatic leader who resembles John Lennon, has already had 20 arrests as a result of his active activism.
He has had numerous run-ins with the law, but his most recent penalty was a £150 fine for willfully blocking a motorway in the heart of London.
Matthew Powell, McKechnie’s accomplice in a protest outside an oil refinery this year, was fined £127 after pleading guilty to aggravated trespass on April 10 at Exolum Storage Ltd.
Biff Whipster, 54, admitted criminal damage after smearing a “hard, crusty film of glue” on a police car’s window.
The judge commended Whipster for his dedication to leading a greener lifestyle despite the fact that he and his companions caused delays for 18,000 motorists on the M25.
Following an incident at an oil port in Thurrock in April, Catherine Maclean was accused of aggravated trespass. Despite her actions causing several gas stations to run out of fuel, she received a fine of only £400.
Richard Dite, a welder, took part in the Fuel Price Stand Against Tax demonstration yesterday and risked six points on his license and a £200 fine by photographing the convoy on his phone while driving his van.
The 44-year-old was among roughly six automobiles in a small parade, shouting “give us our nation back” and acknowledging it was “not a very good turnout.”
He said it now costs “upwards of £300” every week to go from Maesteg to Cardiff for business, up from “around £125 before the price increases.” He stated, “I am about to put my stuff in the shed,” and added, “I would be better off on the dole.” I am not that. I have a job. There must be a change.
Fuel prices, according to 48-year-old Cardiff resident Martin Crowley, who works for himself as a courier for exotic animals, are hurting his business. I spent £280 on fuel over two days last week. It’s absurd,’ he remarked. You hardly have any chance of surviving these days.
A former HGV driver from Cwmbran, South Wales, Vicky Stamper, 41, who was also present, said, “We had to leave those jobs because it was costing us £380 a week just to get to and from work.”
Farmer Andrew Spence asserted that yesterday’s action was “only the start of things to come” after he participated in protests against a Shell plant in Jarrow, South Tyneside, 22 years ago when Tony Blair was prime minister.
He declared, “We’re promising a summer of unhappiness; this is only going to get bigger and bigger.”
The introduction of websites like Facebook, according to Mr. Spence, 55, of County Durham, has significantly changed his ability to mobilize individuals who are outraged by rising petrol prices.
People “stand up and take notice” because of social media, he claimed. “That’s something we lacked in the early 2000s,” someone said.
Blockades of refineries, according to Mr. Spence, had “not been ruled out.” He continued, “We’re promising a summer of discontent – this is only going to get bigger and bigger.” He has a protest scheduled for Newcastle.
The Cumbrian activist living in Brighton and a student at Sussex University said she finds empowerment in “a weird, dreamy, calm mindset” after protests.
Her family recently acquired a west coast Scottish home built in the early 20th century with one of the lowest energy efficiency ratings available. Her father owns an environmental consulting business.
According to the national registry for Energy Performance Certificates, heating and lighting a home results in about 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere, which is double Scotland’s average.
The family also owns a five-bedroom house in Cumbria, close to Kendal.
Miss Hunt is one of several middle-class activists who have been demanding ransom from British drivers all year.
When protesters climbed onto lorries at the Grays depot in April, their demonstrations went on. Three oil sites saw dozens of arrests.
In the meantime, hundreds of Extinction Rebellion supporters in central London blocked four bridges and a significant roundabout.
Environmentalists have lamented the negative effects of air travel, claiming that a single flight can contribute more CO2 to the atmosphere than some people produce in an entire year.
Carbon dioxide emissions from a round-trip economy ticket to Bali are 4.2 tons, compared to 6.1 tons from a round-trip ticket to Australia.
Just two months ago, Just Stop Oil started holding daily demonstrations to press the British government to end all new oil and gas projects.
In Glasgow and Manchester, the group has drawn criticism for tying themselves to well-known works of art; in recent weeks, Van Gogh and J.M.W. Turner have all come under fire.
Experts and art historians have all expressed concern that the iconic masterpieces may have been damaged beyond repair by the vandals.
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts Dr. Adrian Hilton remarked today: “How is this even possible in the National Gallery? It’s a masterpiece by John Constable, a national treasure. Is covering it up or, God forbid, destroying it this simple?
The National Gallery later released a statement clarifying The Hay Wain suffered minor damage to its frame and on the painting’s varnish, both of which have been dealt with before it is re-hung in Gallery Room 34 on Tuesday.