The following is a statement on full from Just Stop Oil over its decision to end its direct action
Three years after bursting on the scene in a blaze of orange, at the end of April we will be hanging up the hi vis.
Just Stop Oil’s initial demand to end new oil and gas is now government policy, making us one of the most successful civil resistance campaigns in recent history. We’ve kept over 4.4 billion barrels of oil in the ground and the courts have ruled new oil and gas licences unlawful.
So it is the end of soup on Van Goghs, cornstarch on Stonehenge and slow marching in the streets. But it is not the end of trials, of tagging and surveillance, of fines, probation and years in prison. We have exposed the corruption at the heart of our legal system, which protects those causing death and destruction while prosecuting those seeking to minimize harm. Just Stop Oil will continue to tell the truth in the courts, speak out for our political prisoners and call out the UK’s oppressive anti-protest laws. We continue to rely on small donations from the public to make this happen.
Just Stop Oil: this is not the end
This is not the end of civil resistance. Governments everywhere are retreating from doing what is needed to protect us from the consequences of unchecked fossil fuel burning. As we head towards 2°C of global heating by the 2030s, the science is clear: billions of people will have to move or die and the global economy is going to collapse. This is unavoidable. We have been betrayed by a morally bankrupt political class.
As corporations and billionaires corrupt political systems across the world, we need a different approach. We are creating a new strategy, to face this reality and to carry our responsibilities at this time. Nothing short of a revolution is going to protect us from the coming storms.
We are calling on everyone who wants to be a part of building the new resistance to join us for the final Just Stop Oil action in Parliament Square on 26 April.
We will all be coming together for one day of action on Saturday April 26th at Parliament Square. This means everyone: whether you’ve taken action in the past, or are still considering joining, the plan is we all converge on the streets of London on the same day.
This will be a lower-risk action and we won’t be pushing for arrest. We know that arrest can be a barrier to stepping out, and we will be doing our best to minimise that risk so that everyone can join. This is an opportunity for all of us to come together in our numbers and show that civil resistance is alive and well, that it remains a force for change in this country. If you have ever considered taking action with Just Stop Oil, now is the time, it’s your final chance.
Sign up here. See you on the streets.
