Traffic jam on London motorway
The Just stop oil public disobedience campaign, which advocates an early switch to green energy, was able to block motor vehicle traffic on the M25 for the second day in a row. This was revealed on Tuesday on the website of state-owned National Highways, which operates and maintains Britain's motorways.
A number of sections of the 188-kilometre ring road are completely closed to traffic and many kilometres of jams can be observed at several points. Earlier on Tuesday, Just stop oil reported on its website that around 15 of its activists had climbed overpasses on various sections of the M25 at 7am. In such situations, the British police always block traffic until a demonstrator is removed from the site of their protest.
However, a day earlier, similar actions by movement activists in exactly the same way had led to huge traffic jams on the M25. As a result, 25 people were detained.
The protests took place at 13 locations on the M25 on Monday.
Police believe that some of the demonstrators may have contravened a High Court order obtained by National Highways.
In a statement Just Stop Oil said: "We will not be intimidated by changes in the law, we will not be stopped by private injunctions aimed at silencing peaceful people."
The Met is working with the National Police Coordination Centre on an operation to prevent protests.
Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested nearly 2,000 times since its campaign began on 1 April, and five are currently in jail.
According to the group, the government's failure to stop North Sea oil and gas extraction will contribute to global warming, "leading to the collapse of an orderly civil society, the loss of our rights and freedoms and the death of countless millions of people".
Since the beginning of October, the Just stop oil movement has been staging daily rallies in central London, demanding that the British government ban the development of new oil and gas fields and provide assistance to the residents of the country, who are facing the consequences of the energy crisis.
During this time, police have detained more than 700 activists who have blocked roads, sprayed paint on car dealerships and boutiques of expensive brands, and poured soup on a painting by Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh at the National Gallery in London. Members of the movement promise to continue their performances.