Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested up to seven times each during a month of road-blocking chaos in London this year. MailOnline has more.
Some members of the eco-zealot group, which brought the capital the roads around it to a standstill, were arrested multiple times this autumn as part of their uproarious demonstrations.
Official figures show that of the 755 people arrested between October 1st and November 4th, 155 were detained by police more than once – just over one in five.
The Metropolitan Police has said those arrested are not able to be charged quickly as officers have to trawl through CCTV and take statements from witnesses before the matter goes through the courts.
Official figures from the force show that some protesters were able to take part in multiple protests, with one person being arrested a remarkable seven times, The Times reports.
The Met detained two people on five occasions, 25 people on four, 28 on three and 99 protesters on two demonstrations.
Of the 755 people arrested during their demonstrations in October and at the start of November, 112 have since been charged.
It told the publication that most arrests in the first five weeks were for obstructing the highway, a lesser offence that can only receive a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
While police investigated many of these offences, the protesters were released on bail, meaning they were free to join other demonstrations taking place.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told the Times: “We are determined to bring to justice all of those who have acted unlawfully and gone beyond protest into causing serious and criminal disruption to the public of London.
“To date over 12,500 officer shifts have been needed to deal with Just Stop Oil activity, and hundreds more will be needed to process all of the suspects through to a court outcome.”
The eco-zealots brought large parts of London and the South East to a standstill earlier this year after they embarked on more than 30 days of continuous protests.
This included blocking roads in the capital and climbing gantries on the M25 to force the closure of the ring road on multiple occasions.
One pair of protesters forced the closure of the Dartford bridge for more than a day, causing chaos on one of the U.K.’s busiest roads.
They also targeted some of world’s most recognisable cultural sights, with a pair of activists throwing soup at Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece Sunflowers.
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The state won’t imprison them – green zealots are useful idiots.
A cynic might surmise that they are agent provocateurs in the employ of the state.
The green zealots are like the youngsters who carried out the cultural revolution for Mao. Useful idiots, or more accurately evil idiots.
I can’t believe the police and courts are “powerless” to stop these cretins – they just don’t want to.
Compare and contrast their treatment of anti-lockdown protestors, for example.
Or swear at a minority and your feet won’t touch the ground. ——It’s all about priorities and ofcourse in the case of so called eco protesters it is all about not going too hard on people batting for the same team as you.
Have these individuals not stopped to consider the CO2 generated by being arrested? All those police cars rushing around, the disposable plastic zip-ties, trips to the courthouse?
That’s in addition to the CO2 generated by their disruption.
Not to mention the CO2 generated by their annual holiday to the sun (but that’s okay because daily yoga sessions on the beach in the sun allows them to really get in tune with Gaia), their journey to get to their protest location (but they’ll be car-sharing so it is okay), and the CO2 generated by the double caffè latte that they really need to get going in the morning (but everyone needs one of those, right?)
But, of course, all the above is okay, because just like journalists travelling thousands of miles to cover a climate change conference, film crew wandering around rain-forests to
step onfilm the exploits of endangered insects and councillors demanding reduced traffic (outside their house), what is important is that they’re working hard to ensure that other people change their behaviours.I wonder if the same leniency will be shown to those committing “non-crime hate incidents”?
I think your question answers itself.
The Eco Terrorists are just the provisional wing of the Eco Nutters who infest the Government.
They are as closely associated as Sinn Fein and the IRA were/are.