Some leaders are asking protesters to ‘upset people,’ while others are supporting a’moderate flank.’
Roger Hallam, the head of Just Stop Oil, has urged his organization to pursue drastic measures, stating that “nothing occurs” unless the public is angered.
However, the former spokesman for Extinction Rebellion (XR), Rupert Read, has advised the organization to focus on recruiting new members to its cause as opposed to staging spectacular demonstrations.
The leaders’ words came at a time when eco-extremists across the United Kingdom are being criticized for outrageous protests that included the destruction of a Van Gogh painting, luxury merchants in London, and the scaling of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.
Mr. Read contends that the ‘radical’ activities the groups have been doing pose’significant obstacles’ to the recruitment of new activists to the cause due to their ‘radical’ nature.
Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain, which appeared to be more radical, were inspired by XR. Both organizations were formed and directed by XR veterans.
There is disagreement among climate activists over the methods via which protesters should attract public attention. Anna Holland, 20, and Phoebe Plummer, 21, during a Just Stop Oil demonstration on October 14, 2022, in which they hurled two cans of Heinz tomato soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in the National Gallery in central London.
Just Stop Oil pushed protestors to engage in extreme actions, claiming that “nothing occurs” unless the public is agitated. During a demonstration on October 18, 2022, a Just Stop Oil protester is spotted lying in a hammock over the Dartford Bridge.
“If we want to win, we need a large number of people on board. According to The Times, Mr. Read, a professor at the University of East Anglia, has claimed, “I am attempting to build a moderate flank.”
What I would like to see, and what I believe will occur, is a much larger mobilization of individuals who are more moderate than Extinction Rebellion but more extreme than any existing mainstream groups.
Mr. Read said that the climate change movement must “be prepared for exponential growth,” which requires action groups to “reduce admission barriers.”
The reality, he maintained, is that a large number of individuals perceive radical and environmental movement to have considerable entry obstacles.
I do not believe that [the movement] has done a particularly good job of being inclusive of folks from diverse class backgrounds or those with different political views.
The activist stated that “most people must engage in non-violent direct action” and that if individuals took significant action on a smaller scale, it would “alter the game.”
If more people were determined that their employers or the institution where they spend the majority of their time should be serious about decreasing their climate and diversity impacts quickly, that would be a game changer, he said.
However, Extinction Rebellion has advised its members to focus on recruiting new members rather than staging elaborate demonstrations. Pictured is an XR protestor scaling a Tube at Canning Town station during rush hour on the 17th of October, 2019.
One XR leader noted that the groups’ ‘extreme’ actions pose’significant challenges’ to the recruitment of new activists to the cause. Pictured: On September 29, 2021, Insulate Britain protestors will disrupt traffic on the M25.
On October 16, 2022, Just Stop Oil protestors splattered orange paint over the Aston Martin car store on Park Lane in London in an apparent act of vandalism.
Mr. Hallam has adopted a different strategy to gaining support, warning environmentalists, “If you don’t offend enough people, nothing will happen.”
‘You will also perish if you agitate people excessively, as was customarily done by violence. However, there is a sweet spot.’
He said, “No one knows exactly where the sweet spot is, but as a general rule, it’s far higher than you believe.”
Just Stop Oil urges activists to take dramatic action and promotes “high-level disruption and strong mobilization.”
Tim Hewes, a retired church of England priest linked with the organization, told members, “If you’re not already in detention or dead, we need you.”
The organization also emphasizes the benefits of its’support system,’ which includes no-cost attorneys who may assist anyone who is arrested during a demonstration.
In addition, members have access to an emotional support hotline staffed by professionals “informed of the climate issue” and safe places “where somebody will cook you dinner.”
Anna Holland, 20, from Newcastle, and Phoebe Plummer, 21, flung two cans of Heinz tomato soup over an important Van Gogh painting on October 14, 2022, at the National Gallery.
After their demonstration, the two protestors stuck themselves to the floor and had to be unglued by police officers with specialized training.
During the climate protest, the £76 million work of art was reportedly “unharmed,” according to the police.
The campaign group’s eco-extremists staged a humiliating attack against the police on October 14, 2022, by splashing orange paint over the New Scotland Yard HQ’s sign in Westminster, London, resulting in 24 arrests.
Lora Johnson, 38, was charged with criminal damage in relation to the Scotland Yard incident and pled not guilty. As cops lifted her off the ground, she gave an interview about climate change that went viral.
Two protesters from Just Stop Oil flung soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in the National Gallery in downtown London just last week.
Anna Holland, 20, of Newcastle, and Phoebe Plummer, 21, of Lambeth, south-west London, hurled two cans of Heinz tomato soup over the £76 million masterpiece before sticking themselves to a wall inside the Gallery.
During a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, both have already pleaded not guilty to criminal damage to the painting’s frame.
Other rebellious eco-extremists from the campaign group staged a humiliating attack against the police on the same day by smearing orange paint over the sign of the New Scotland Yard headquarters in Westminster, London, resulting in 24 arrests.
Lora Johnson, 38, of Southwold, Suffolk, was charged in connection with the incident and pled not guilty to criminal damage charges.
Also last week, two Just Stop Oil activists who suspended themselves from the Dartford Bridge were detained.
The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which connects Kent and Essex, was inaccessible to motorists after its cables were scaled with climbing tools by protesters.
Morgan Trowland, 39, and Marcus Decker, 33, scaled the bridge to such a height that police negotiators asking them to drop were unable to converse with them.
The pair were then reported to have unfurled a banner reading “Just Stop Oil” and remained there for about 36 hours.
Trowland and Decker will be tried by a jury after entering not guilty pleas at the Southend Magistrates’ Court in relation to the alleged stunt.
After reportedly scaling the Dartford Bridge on October 29, 2022, Marcus Decker (left) and Morgan Trowland (right) have been charged with conspiracy to conduct a public disturbance.
Upon the arrival of a’super cherry picker’ on October 19, 2022, the couple were reportedly brought down from the structure and detained.
On October 29, 2022, the two protestors allegedly hanged themselves in hammocks and raised a banner across the bridge.
Mark Ovland, 38, and James Mee, 37, unfurled a banner that said “business as usual = death” as enraged passengers pelted them with coins, coffee, and sandwiches on October 17, 2019 in east London.
The prosecutor stated that the couple were only on the train for 20 minutes, yet their morning commutes harmed 48,000 people.
Although Just Stop Oil’s actions have grabbed the news in recent weeks, it is not the only organization to engage in radical climate change activities.
Infuriating commuters, XR activists scaled a subway train at Canning Town station during peak hour before being hauled off and assaulted by other passengers.
During a two-week protest in east London on October 17, 2019, Mark Ovland, 38, and James Mee, 37, unfurled a banner reading “business as usual = death” as irate passengers pelted them with coins, coffee, and sandwiches.
Mee was ultimately dragged onto the platform at Canning Tube station and kicked by morning passengers.
During their trial earlier this year, the prosecutor stated that although the couple were only on top of the train for 20 minutes, 48,000 morning commuters were affected.
When they came before a judge in March, Ovland and Mee conceded, “We made a mistake,” noting that they “had the greatest of intentions” but terrible execution.
Each man was handed a 12-month community order, but he will not go to jail.
As part of their punishment, Judge Silas Reid informed the pair, ‘Each of you was a member of the Extinction Rebellion team. This was a demonstration regarding a crucial location.
‘However, it is unimportant whether your argument is totally on the correct side or not. Climate change is, without a doubt, an issue that everyone must consider for the future. The problem is that you went too far.
On September 29, 2021, activists from the Insulate Britain climate change protest group blocked the road near M25 junction 3 near Swanley.
On September 29, 2021, a police officer is seen hauling an Insulate Britain protester off the road at junction 3 of the M25 near Swanley. An estimated 18,000 vehicles were affected, costing the economy around £4,600.
The throng went into the middle of the road and dispersed across two areas of the intersection, stopping traffic.
Similarly, on September 29, 2021, protesters from Insulate Britain delayed traffic on the M25, including an ambulance with a “urgent patient,” by sitting across Junction 3, an important interchange on the road in Swanley, Kent.
The throng surged into the roadway and dispersed across two areas of the intersection, bringing traffic to a halt.
Some protestors cemented themselves to the asphalt, one to a police car, while Mary Adams refused to move out of the way of an ambulance taking a patient to the hospital.
National Highways data indicates that the disruption cost the economy around £4.603, with an estimated 18,000 vehicles affected in the surrounding area.
In total, nine people pled guilty to offences relating to the protest at Crawley Magistrates’ Court earlier this year, either by mail or in person.
Ian Bates, age 63, and Karen Matthews, age 60, as well as Mary Adams, age 68, Margurite Doubleday, age 67, Bethany Mogie, age 39, Xavier Gonzalez-Trimmer, age 21, and Lucy Crawford, age 52, all pled guilty to willful obstruction of a highway.
During the demonstration, Biff Whipster, 54, admitted to committing criminal damage by placing a “hard, crusty film of adhesive” on the window of a police vehicle.