Organization:Just Stop Oil

Short description: Climate activism group

Just Stop Oil

Formation	14 February 2022 (2022-02-14)
Purpose	Climate change mitigation Environmental protection
Region	United Kingdom
Fields	Environmental movement
Website	juststopoil.org

Just Stop Oil is a climate campaign group in the UK using civil resistance with the aim of ensuring the UK Government commits to halting new fossil fuel licensing and production. It launched on 14 February 2022 and held a month of oil terminal disruptions across England in April 2022.

History

The group launched on 14 February 2022.

On 13 March, supporters disrupted the 75th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs).

On 20 March, two supporters attempted to disrupt a football match at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London, but were intercepted. On 21 March, one supporter stopped play at a football match at Goodison Park in Liverpool when he ran onto the pitch and cable tied himself to a goalpost by his neck. The following day, one supporter briefly made it onto the pitch at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton. On 24 March six supporters attempted to disrupt a match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London. All were removed quickly, but the match was briefly stopped.

Beginning 1 April, they have been conducting England-wide blockades of 10 critical oil facilities, intending to cut off the supply of petrol to the southeast of England. They claimed they were inspired by the UK lorry drivers' protests in 2000, that paralysed petrol distribution. On 14 April, Just Stop Oil activists stopped and surrounded an oil tanker in London, causing congestion on the M4 motorway. On 15 April supporters targeted Kingsbury, Navigator and Grays oil terminals, blockading roads and climbing onto oil tankers. The same day it was reported that Navigator Thames, ExxonMobil, and Valero had secured civil injunctions to prevent protest at their oil terminals. On 19 April, Just Stop Oil suspended its actions against fuel distribution for a week in the hope of action from the government. On 28 April, about 35 Just Stop Oil supporters sabotaged petrol pumps at two M25 motorway service stations (Cobham services in Surrey and Clacket Lane services in Kent).

On 3 July a group of Just Stop Oil supporters caused controversy at the 2022 F1 British Grand Prix by sitting in the middle of the track, however, the race was stopped seconds before that because of a crash and those entering the track had no impact on the sporting event. Later the police arrested them. Their actions were supported by the Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, and Carlos Sainz, though all three drivers said that these people should not have put themselves at risk of physical harm.

Supporters of Just Stop Oil targeted artworks in public galleries in July 2022. Two supporters glued themselves to John Constable's 1821 painting The Hay Wain at the National Gallery in London on 4 July. They covered the painting with a printed illustration that reimagined the The Hay Wain as an "apocalyptic vision of the future" that depicted "the climate collapse and what it will do to this landscape". The two people were subsequently arrested by police and the painting was removed for examination by conservators. A group of supporters glued themselves to a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper painting at the Royal Academy of Arts on 5 July. 'No New Oil' was spray painted on a wall underneath the painting.

On 26 August 2022, the group blocked seven petrol stations in Central London and vandalizing property. Forty-three people around London were arrested for vandalism.

See also

• Climate crisis
• Roger Hallam
• Extinction Rebellion
• Insulate Britain