Climate Lockdown Claims in Oxford Lead to Death Threats

The BBC’s ‘Climate Disinformation Specialist‘ (who knew?) has written a piece saying that “false” claims alleging that Oxfordshire County Council’s is planning to introduce a “climate lockdown” in 2024 have led to some councillors receiving death threats. While there is more than a grain of truth to the story – the Council really is intending to divide the city of Oxford into six zones and impose an annual limit on how many times people are allowed to travel from one zone to another in their cars (although commercial and emergency vehicles will be exempt) – it would be more accurate to describe it as a way to reduce traffic than a “climate lockdown”. (Although I’m not sure describing it as such constitutes ‘climate disinformation’.) To be clear, people won’t be confined to their homes or their zones – they’ll be free to travel between zones on foot or on bicycles or on public transport. I wrote a story for the Daily Sceptic about this a couple of weeks ago – “Oxford County Councillors to Introduce Trial Climate Lockdown in 2024” – and I hope that headline wasn’t responsible for any abuse received by Councillors. In the piece, I quoted from a story on Watts Up With That? which exaggerated just how great an interference in personal liberty this will be (the BBC has labelled that story as “false”.) When a press officer for the Council contacted us asking the Daily Sceptic to correct any ‘misunderstandings’ about the scheme, we added it as a Stop Press beneath the original piece. He then wrote back to say we were the only site he’d contacted who’d responded to his email!

Here is how the BBC News piece begins:

False claims that a lockdown to help fight climate change could soon be enforced in Oxford have spread on social media. Residents are confused and local politicians have received a torrent of abuse as a result.

“I’m still feeling a bit bruised, if I’m honest, and a bit cautious,” said Duncan Enright, cabinet member for travel and development strategy at Oxfordshire County Council.

The last two weeks have been unusual for him, to say the least. He has been berated by complete strangers on social media. Death threats have put him and his family on guard.

“I know people very well in this area, and they’re lovely,” he said. “This is something I’ve never experienced before in many years in local politics.”

So how did a mainly rural county suddenly find itself at the heart of a social media storm?

In November, Oxfordshire County Council approved a £6.5 million trial scheme designed to stop most drivers in Oxford from using busy city routes at peak times.

To achieve that goal, the council proposed the creation of traffic filters, enforced through cameras, in six key locations across the city.
Private cars will not be allowed through without a permit. All other vehicles, including public transport and bikes, will be exempt.

After the news broke, a number of fringe media outlets began describing the initiative as an effective “climate lockdown”.

They falsely claimed that the scheme would, in practice, “lock” residents in their own homes.

They also wrongly suggested that, through the use of permits, the council was being given powers to decide who gets to travel around the city.

“It’s not a lockdown,” said Liz Leffman, leader of Oxfordshire County Council. “People are going to be free to travel around, just as they are at the moment.”

The trial scheme, which is not expected to start before 2024, is designed to cut unnecessary car journeys, while making walking, cycling and public transport more appealing.

And yet, social media posts about an alleged “climate lockdown” found a willing audience among conspiracy-minded users, who shared them thousands of times.