Just Stop Oil protesters
(Picture: PA Media)Just Stop Oil protesters are becoming “less assertive” because some of their suspected leaders are in custody, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said.
Sir Mark Rowley told the London Assembly on Thursday that any unlawful protest would be dealt with “robustly”.
"Frankly, what I’ve seen is that Just Stop Oil have got much less assertive in their recent protests - frankly, as a consequence of a large number of their leaders being remanded in custody as a result of our operations,” he said.
It comes as activists change the nature of their protests to avoid police arrests.
On Monday Just Stop Oil supporters began a series of marches through central London roads holding banners and chanting. The demonstrations have slowed traffic but not blocked it - a tactic that was previously used by the group.
Many would glue their hands to the tarmac and sit in the road.
The Commissioner said “the best part of 60 offenders” had moved through court under charges of public nuisance, but most of the trials have been scheduled for 2024 due to delays in the criminal justice system.
Mr Crawley added that he was "absolutely determined that anything that goes beyond lawful reasonable protest by creating serious disruption to London, by creating damage to property, will be dealt with robustly".
A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said on Wednesday:“We will continue to do whatever is nonviolently possible to demand an end to new oil and gas. We will not be intimidated by changes in the law or government posturing on tougher policing tactics.”
Since the campaign began on April 1, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested over 2,000 times, with 26 supporters currently in prison, the group said.
Just Stop Oil supporters oppose the government’s plans to licence new oil and gas projects, and “its failure to fulfil its promise to help people with their skyrocketing energy bills”.
In November a number of activists scaled gantries on the M25 surrounding London, causing widespread disruption to traffic as they were pulled down safely by local police.
The Home Secretary and policing minister are due to meet police chiefs to discuss tackling the “guerrilla tactics” used by protest groups after Downing Street said “more must be done” to stop disruptive demonstrations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to join the start of the roundtable hosted in No 10 by Suella Braverman and Chris Philp on Thursday.
