Environmentalists wreaked havoc at rush hour in west London by boarding an oil tanker and forcing the closure of a major roundabout leading to the start of the M4 motorway.
“Roads at the Chiswick roundabout are currently closed,” Hounslow police tweeted Thursday morning. “The deviations are in place. Please avoid the area if possible. “
Four activists were glued to the top of Eddie Stobart’s fuel tanker at the intersection that powers West London traffic on and off the M4. They had draped flags on the side of the articulated truck that read, “Just stop the oil.”
Initially, cars could pass the occupied tank on the lanes on both sides, with many drivers cursing the protesters. But when more police arrived, they closed the roundabout.
Activists who have blocked fuel terminals since April 1st, causing a shortage of petrol and diesel in some areas, said they aimed to present their protests to the public. “It’s about making the invisible visible,” one Guardian shouted from the top of the tanker. “It’s about showing people the things that destroy people’s livelihoods and ecosystems.”
In a statement, Just Stop Oil claimed responsibility for shutting down the tanker and said its activists were working “to stop the flow of oil to London”. The group has vowed to cut off oil supplies to London until the government agrees to a moratorium on all new oil and gas projects.
The protest comes as reports of a shortage of petrol and diesel continue in areas targeted by Just Stop Oil. In the last two weeks, the group has been organizing blockades and mass violations at 11 oil distribution facilities.
On Wednesday, it was announced that a large petrochemical company, based in the United States, Valero oil, had received an order banning protests at its sites in the United Kingdom. Valero owns the Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire, which has repeatedly been the target of Just Stop Oil.
The Labor Party had previously called on the government to impose “national orders” banning the group’s protests, prompting criticism after it was said the orders did not work that way. In response, Just Stop Oil said Labor was “betraying its past, betraying the youth of this country, of each country, and complicit in the climate genocide.”
Just Stop Oil activists had waited an hour and a half for the Chiswick oil tanker roundabout before striking, leaving several of them who appeared to be carrying edible oils.
When the tanker Eddie Stobart arrived, one of them ran to the nearest traffic light and pressed the button. Then they stood in front of the cab, unfurled their flag, and told the driver that others were boarding his trailer. Before boarding, an activist pulled a cable from the cab to the trailer to freeze the brakes.
More protests are expected on Thursday.
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