After participating in a “go slow” rally on the Severn Bridge, a demonstrator against rising fuel prices was held.
She alleges she spent 11 hours in a filthy police cell with “blood up the walls and sick over the toilet.”
One of the 12 drivers detained on Monday following sluggish driving on the M4 between England and Wales was Vicky Stamper.
She participated in a number of protests on Monday over the rising cost of fuel, which reached close to £2 per litre across the nation.
A leader of the fuel protests, haulier Tariq Akram, claimed last night that the British people were behind the protests.
Home Secretary Priti Patel, however, encouraged police to deploy severe new powers to disperse protesters preventing Britain’s roadways from coming to a standstill amid concerns that a Canadian-style “Freedom Convoy” blockades targeting London.
Meanwhile, how the police handled Insulate Britain activists and, more recently, those from Just Stop Oil, has been compared with how the gasoline price protesters have been treated.
After one police officer in Birmingham was caught on camera telling protesters, “I don’t want to put nice people in a cell,” the police were accused of using a “soft touch” with Insulate Britain demonstrators.
Former HGV driver Ms. Stamper, of Cwmbran, South Wales, has now alleged that she was detained for 11 hours after being arrested in “absolutely horrible” conditions.
The 41-year-old further asserts that she was “starving” since she was “allergic” to the curry officers provided her while she was being held.
And to make matters worse, she claims that after her car was taken by police during the protests, she was charged with a £150 fee to get it back.
However, Gwent Police retaliated today, claiming that each of its cells is well cleaned before being assigned to new inmates and that officers have volunteered to pick up food.
Ms. Stamper, who has filed a formal complaint with the force, described her experience at Newport Police Station in the following words: “They refused to grant me a phone call to (my partner) Darren.”
She participated in a number of protests on Monday over the rising cost of fuel, which reached close to £2 per litre across the nation.
A leader of the fuel protests, haulier Tariq Akram, claimed last night that the British people were behind the protests.
Home Secretary Priti Patel, however, encouraged police to deploy severe new powers to disperse protesters preventing Britain’s roadways from coming to a standstill amid concerns that a Canadian-style “Freedom Convoy” blockades targeting London.
Meanwhile, how the police handled Insulate Britain activists and, more recently, those from Just Stop Oil, has been compared with how the gasoline price protesters have been treated.
After one police officer in Birmingham was caught on camera telling protesters, “I don’t want to put nice people in a cell,” the police were accused of using a “soft touch” with Insulate Britain demonstrators.
Former HGV driver Ms. Stamper, of Cwmbran, South Wales, has now alleged that she was detained for 11 hours after being arrested in “absolutely horrible” conditions.
The 41-year-old further asserts that she was “starving” since she was “allergic” to the curry officers provided her while she was being held.
And to make matters worse, she claims that after her car was taken by police during the protests, she was charged with a £150 fee to get it back.
However, Gwent Police retaliated today, claiming that each of its cells is well cleaned before being assigned to new inmates and that officers have volunteered to pick up food.
Ms. Stamper, who has filed a formal complaint with the force, described her experience at Newport Police Station in the following words: “They refused to grant me a phone call to (my partner) Darren.”
I was just going along for the ride.
This wasn’t entirely planned by me. Never mind that I couldn’t plan a p***-up in a brewery.
If I had done that, I would have been pleased.
Ms. Stamper claimed she was “starving and in need of nicotine” when she was allegedly denied a request to smoke when she was released from detention while an investigation was ongoing at 10.18 p.m.
Police detained Ms. Stamper’s Vauxhall Corsa along with the other vehicles used in the protest as part of her arrest.
Ms. Stamper claimed she just lost her work as an HGV driver as a result of increased fuel prices.
She claimed she was told she needed to pay £150 to get her car back, with the amount increasing by £21 for each day she didn’t pay.
If I paid that, I would be unable to shop for two weeks and would be forced to go without food in order for my 16-year-old son to eat, claimed Mrs. Stamper.
Later, on Tuesday morning, she called Gwent Police to voice her complaints.
I said I’d like to report my car stolen,’ she remarked.
Right, do you know who it was? they asked. Yes, I knew exactly who it was, I assured them.
When they asked “who,” I responded, “You lot.”
I explained that my boyfriend, who was more than capable and insured to drive it home, had been taken away.
His final cab fare from Magor Services came to £16. The police eventually hung up on me.
Ms. Stamper claimed that in order to pay the impound fee, she had to borrow money from her mother.
She claimed that she wouldn’t have been able to attend two job interviews for HGV drivers this week in Newport and Bristol without the car.
Chief Superintendent of Gwent Police Tom Harding responded to the allegations by stating, “Custody is a place of employment and under Welsh law you cannot smoke in a workplace.”
Before being given to new detainees, every cell is meticulously cleaned.
We make every effort to accommodate dietary needs while in custody, and in cases where we are unable to do so, we offer to buy the required meals outside of custody.
‘Ms Stamper was provided food that was accessible in detention on multiple occasions, and police offered to buy her food outside of prison,’ according to the report.
“We invite Ms. Stamper to contact us directly and would be pleased to review any complaints,” the statement reads.
A leader of the fuel demonstrations that paralysed UK highways yesterday warned Boris Johnson today that he should be “worried” and said that “the general public was supporting us.”
During the morning rush hour, haulier Tariq Akram organised 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) organisation 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.
A new movement similar to the gilets jaunes across the Channel, where working class protesters wearing yellow vests shut down France over economic issues and the cost of living, is reportedly something the government is afraid of as slow-moving convoys on major routes start to become more frequent.
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 modelled 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 offence 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 criticised 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.
Yesterday, 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.
Police were criticised last year for how they handled Insulate Britain demonstrators who walked onto traffic lanes on motorways like the M25 and caused havoc.
However, as footage of police advising protesters to “just be careful” surfaced, it was claimed that they had a “soft touch.”
I don’t want to lock up nice people, another person declared.
Meanwhile, French police have adopted a slightly different strategy. Last month, footage showed police pulling demonstrators’ hands off the pavement after they had taped themselves to it.
The organisation sponsoring the demonstration is “Dernier Rénovation,” the French version of Insulate Britain, which promotes building thermal rehabilitation.
Earlier this month, protesters attempted to obstruct traffic on the roadways once more.
However, a video shows police taking the protesters off the road and away from oncoming traffic.