JUST Stop Oil protesters have been arrested after disrupting London’s Pride march today.
A video on the Just Stop Oil Twitter page shows protestors emerging from the crowd at the Pride parade with some sitting in the middle of the road in front of a Coca-Cola truck and another spraying the ground with what looks to be pink powder.
The Metropolitan Police said that protesters sat in the middle of the road on Piccadilly at 1.30pm, causing the parade to stop.
After 16 minutes, police arrested seven protesters for public nuisance offences and the parade continued one minute later.
🏳️🌈 BREAKING: JUST STOP OIL DISRUPTS PRIDE 🧯 LGBTQ+ supporters of Just Stop Oil have disrupted the Pride in London parade, blocking Coca-Cola's float and spraying black and pink paint over the road. 🧵 A thread on why we've disrupted #PrideInLondon: pic.twitter.com/bGjudM9VUl
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) July 1, 2023
One witness said that the activists spoiled the fun for thousands of people.
Neil, 49, from East London, was watching the parade when the protesters ran out in front of him and blocked the Coca-Cola truck.
Speaking to PA Media, he said: “There was about eight of them I think,” he said.
“Eight people spoiling fun for thousands of people.
“They want the attention don’t they?
“And until they get the attention they’ll sit themselves down.”
The protest was in response to the London Pride parade accepting sponsorship money from “high-polluting industries”.
This incident comes just days after Just Stop Oil protestors ran onto the Lord's Cricket Ground, London, on Wednesday with orange powder before the start of the second Ashes test between England and Australia.
Videos posted online showed officers picking up protesters and carrying them away.
Just Stop Oil had previously warned it may take action at Pride in London 2023
Just Stop Oil had previously warned it would take action as it called on organisers of the major event to ban floats from “high-polluting” sponsors and to condemn new oil, gas and coal.
We are aware of a protest group that was disrupting the parade. @MetPoliceEvents has resolved this issue and we have continued the parade. #PrideinLondon is a place for equality and we make sure everyone feels safe and enjoys the day. https://t.co/b6tVPbj978
— Pride in London (@PrideInLondon) July 1, 2023
In a statement, LGBT+ members of the group said: “These partnerships embarrass the LGBTQ+ community at a time when much of the cultural world is rejecting ties to these toxic industries.
“It speaks to how far we’ve come as a community that high-polluting industries and the banks that fund them now see Pride as a useful vehicle for sanitising their reputations, waving rainbow flags in one hand whilst accelerating social collapse with the other.”
Just Stop Oil had earlier warned "potential escalations" were likely if no action was taken.
The group earlier on Saturday said: “If London Pride fails to take these basic steps necessary to protect our community, we will have to consider potential escalations which may result in the disruption of Pride.
“We will also call for the entire LGBTQ+ community to join us in protest and boycott – for the safety of LGBTQ+ people everywhere.”
