Just Stop Oil protesters have blocked emergency vehicles after staging a demonstration in west London on Tuesday.
Separate videos shared online show both a fire engine and an ambulance on blue lights unable to get through traffic after 32 protesters blocked three roads in Knightsbridge and Brompton Road, stopping traffic in each direction, with some gluing themselves to the asphalt.
One video showed a stationary fire engine in the middle of a junction near Knightsbridge Underground Station, with protesters blocking both the road behind and in front of the fire engine.
Another video shows an ambulance trying to get to an emergency stuck in the gridlock and elsewhere in the disruption, a van driver forced their way through a crowd of protesters who attempted to push back against the charge until they eventually fled and the vehicle proceeded.
Just Stop Oil later tweeted a video showing protesters moving out of the way of a fire engine with the caption: “Just Stop Oil supporters pause roadblock to let fire engine through.”
This is the group’s 11th consecutive day of disruption in London with protesters demanding the government halt all new oil and gas licences and consents.
An ambulance tries to find a way through the protest this morning
(Screengrab)
Downing Street said the actions of Just Stop Oil protesters were “unacceptable”.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “These sorts of protests which disrupt people’s daily lives or indeed can stop our emergency services from potentially saving lives are unacceptable.
Protestors have glued themselves to the floor along a busy Knightsbridge road
(Screengrab)
“That’s why we’ve already toughened powers for the police, we’ve given them new powers to act and we are also taking further powers through the House at the moment to ensure they can go even further in preventing these individuals from disrupting people’s lives.”
Asked whether members of the public should intervene to remove protesters, the spokesman said that while the government “can understand the public’s frustrations with their lives being disrupted in this way” it is “for the police to respond in the first instance to these sorts of protests”.
Just Stop Oil and London Fire Brigade have both been approached for comment.
More follows...
Source link
