Just Stop Oil invade Barbie section of Hamleys toy store: Protester holds sign saying ‘For my son – may he die old in his bed’ in front of bemused shoppers
- The woman shouts ‘it does not have to be this way’ to perplexed shoppers
A member of Just Stop Oil is protesting at the Barbie section of Hamleys toy store – shouting ‘I want my son to grow old and die in his bed.’
Stood at the top of an escalator, the young mother announces herself as part of the climate action group and blasts that thousands die because of extreme heat. ‘It does not have to be this way,’ she says, as perplexed shoppers try and get past.
The woman, who introduces herself as Lora Johnson in separate footage posted on JSO’s Twitter, claims to be demonstrating at the iconic toy shop to try and protect her son’s future.
‘I want my son to grow old and die in his bed, not because he’s dealing with war and famine and floods and drought’.
Confused young shoppers stare at her chanting as they walk past.
Between 10.11am and 11.14am today alone, police officers in London have had to respond to reports of protests at Shaftsbury Avenue, Bishopsgate, Tower Bridge, Marylebone Flyover, Embankment, Pimlico, The Strand, Great Portland Street, Tufton Street, Hanover Square and Marylebone Road.
The mother, a Just Stop Oil protester, says she is demonstrating for her son’s future
Families looking on at Just Stop Oil protesters outside Hamleys toy store in London
In video footage posted on Just Stop Oil’s Twitter page, Lora says she is in civil resistance against the government.
She says she is taking part in a mum’s march in London to demand ‘a liveable future for our children’.
‘Last summer, 61,000 people died in Europe alone because of extreme heat,’ she claims. ‘The climate crisis is here, it is real and it is now and we must unite and act fast.’
Van drivers earlier led a convoy of traffic onto the pavement to dodge a Just Stop Oil protest in Elephant and Castle, south London, as one cyclist blamed protesters for ‘pushing’ him onto the busy road.
The eco-zealots were back out disrupting traffic this morning but commuters appeared to be fighting back by finding ways to get past them.
Video footage shows the moment many drove onto the pavement to avoid being held up by the activists, with one shouting ‘morons’ at them.
Another clip shows how Just Stop Oil activists also failed to halt a pick-up truck driver zooming past them.
Met Police issued section 12 conditions to clear the road in three areas of the city this morning.
It comes after four members of Just Stop Oil were yesterday charged with breach of a section 12 condition to move off the carriageway following protests on Monday. All four were charged in connection with the protests at two locations in Camden.
Just Stop Oil blocking the road in Elephant and Castle, south London, this morning
One driver was not letting them get in his way as he drove past to the side of activists
The pick-up driver carried on his way as activists stood in the road holding banners
Met Police tweeted all the areas they have had to respond to protests in this morning
Hannah Schafer, 59, of Tanygroes, Ceredigion was charged in relation to a protest on High Holborn in Camden.
Matthew Hempstock, 49, of Bristol, Emma Ireland, 39, of Bristol, and Ruth Jarman, 60, of Odiham, Hook, Hampshire, were charged in relation to a protest on New Oxford Street in Camden.
All four are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.
A fifth person arrested has been released with no further action, police said.
In relation to today’s slow marches, Met Police tweeted: ‘Officers responded to protesters in the road at #TowerBridge at 08.07hrs.
‘Section 12 conditions were issued at 08.08hrs and the road was cleared immediately.’
They added: ‘Officers arrived on scene to protesters slow marching at Newington Butts at 08.18hrs.
‘A section 12 was issued to the group and the road was cleared in immediately.’
Read more: Crackdown on Just Stop Oil zealots who disrupt sporting events
Another on Wednesday says: ‘Police were on scene with #protesters at East Smithfield Wapping at 08.17hrs where they were walking slowly in the road and disrupting traffic.
‘The group were issued a section 12 condition to move off the road, which they did by 08.30hrs.’
The eco-zealots have ramped up their protests this summer, with countless slow marches disrupting commuters through London and have even targeted major sporting events.
Ministers and police chiefs are seeking tougher sentences for protesters who invade sports pitches as Just Stop Oil vows to keep disrupting high-profile sporting events.
Officials met with Home Secretary Suella Braverman at Downing Street last week to discuss ways to deter climate change protesters from targeting sports matches after the group carried out demonstrations at the Wimbledon tennis tournament and the Ashes test.
Police chiefs argued that ‘tougher sentences’ – such as jail time – are the ‘strongest deterrence’ to disruptive behaviour, a source inside the meeting told The Times.
Police have been issuing section 12 orders to clear roads around London this morning
Ministers and police chiefs are seeking tougher sentences for protesters who invade sports pitches as Just Stop Oil vows to keep disrupting high-profile sporting events. Pictured: A Just Stop Oil protester throwing confetti on court 18 during Katie Boulter’s first-round match against Daria Saville on day three of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships
It was noted that after the two JSO protesters who scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and brought gridlock to the Dartford Crossing were jailed for causing public nuisance, the organisation seemed to scale back its protests on major roads.
JSO, which aims to pressure the Government into abandoning fossil fuels, has ramped up its protests at major sporting events in recent weeks.
Play had to be paused at Wimbledon on two separate occasions as the protesters were removed from the ground and the jigsaw pieces were cleaned up.
And the previous week, three other protesters ran onto the cricket pitch at Lord’s during the Ashes test series against Australia, prompting England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow to take matters into his hands and haul one of them off.
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