Centrist dad and LBC journalist James O’Brien has declared that the shocking scenes of death and destruction in Valencia, Spain have made him appreciate the importance of Just Stop Oil’s campaign. Just Stop Oil is of course demanding that the UK government work with others to end the extraction and burning of fossil fuels by 2030.
James O’Brien: shocked into having a considered thought
On Monday 3 November during his live show he said:
All roads lead back to climate change… I have, in recent years, been a little bit guilty. I think the snooker one did me. when they threw orange powder on the crucible in the snooker in the middle of the world championships, I sort of thought: ugh! I understand why you’re doing this, but for heaven’s sake this isn’t working.
And then look at the scenes in Spain. The equivalent of an entire year’s worth of rain fell in eight hours and you kind of think – we’re never gonna stop, are we? We’re never gonna do it. Spain could have spent, over the last 10 years, on measures that would have massively mitigated the reality that they’re facing this week.
Screams coming from a care home for the elderly as flood waters rose. Scene of cars bouncing around like matchboxes. You think: wow! We are as nothing as a species to cope with this.
James O’Brien went on to read out testimony from Spain. He stated that “Antonio Terazona watched as his wife Lourdes Maria Garcia, and their three month baby were swept away in the family car by flood waters. The last time he saw them they were clinging onto the roof of the vehicles”.
Lightbulb
He noted that:
And the people that are warning us all about this are currently, in this country, set to be put in jail if they deploy tactics that are successful. It’s that bloody film again – that DiCaprio film again. We’re not looking up. That’s it! Pictures in Spain? Don’t look of them. And if you do look at them, don’t think of Just Stop Oil protestors, or Net Zero. If they protest in a way we don’t notice, they’re golden; they’re fine. If they protest in a way that doesn’t attract any attention at all, they’re golden; they’re fine.
James O’Brien further stated that “If they protest in a way that means no camera crews will turn up, no journalists will turn up, no newspapers will report it the following morning then that’s fine – they won’t go to jail. But if they report it in a way that gets noticed… they go to jail”.
He went on to ask:
Do we owe an apology to climate change protestors? Who are risking their liberty – they’re risking their health, both mental and physical. They are sacrificing their futures and livelihoods, because they dedicate themselves so completely to sounding the alarm bells about incidents precisely like this.
James O’Brien Just Stop Oil revelation: telling
Nearly, if not all, the corporate media – particularly the right-leaning outlets – have been consistently critical of Just Stop Oil – including LBC. Outlets like the Daily Mail have been particularly abusive – even sending journalist into the group undercover to infiltrate and then report them to the police. This has directly resulted in Just Stop Oil supporters going to jail.
James O’Brien is of course part of this corporate media machinery. Let’s not forget, he said he was “disgusted” by Just Stop Oil’s Stonehenge protest – where they sprayed harmless dye on the monument. O’Brien has also helped prop up the politicians and the system that have caused the climate crisis in the first place.
However, a Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
James, there’s no need for anyone to apologise to us. We’re asking everyone to join us in civil resistance against the government which continue to extract and burn fossil fuels. Before long, Valencia will be everyday, everywhere. We must Just Stop Oil by 2030, and that means radical action today.
Just Stop Oil are far more gracious and generous than the journalists who would seek to destroy them.
Featured image via screengrab
