• Ragdoll X
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    11 months ago

    The UK is truly becoming a fascist hellhole.

    “You’re allowed to protest, but only between 5PM and 6PM and you must get a permit and also don’t bother anyone or make too much noise and also you must walk at the right speed otherwise you’re just being a meanie and we’re going to arrest you >:(”

    While I think some of Just Stop Oil’s previous antics were counterproductive to the public image of climate activists, arresting someone because they didn’t protest “at the right speed” is ridiculous. The whole point of protests is to be disruptive and bring attention to the protesters and their cause, and this is an incredibly mild way of doing it.

    • @vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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      2911 months ago

      Also did the British government forget about the troubles? When folks cant peacefully protest shit tends to explode both metaphorically and sometimes literally. Oh wbo am I kidding the British government is full of dipshits. Give it to the inbred english aristocracy and oligarchy to repeatedly smash their dicks with a hammer.

    • @CritFail@lemmy.world
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      1011 months ago

      Are you crazy?! 5-6pm is rush hour! No it must be 2-3am, but if any of your neighbours are woken up, they must spend six months in a re-education camp kindly funded by our BP sponsors.

    • @Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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      -2711 months ago

      People have a right to go about their day, you can’t have everyone with a gripe going around blocking roads all the time.

      • @5in1k@lemm.ee
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        1211 months ago

        You are an awful status quo, please don’t rock my boat it’s working for me and I don’t care about anybody or anything else person.

      • @Schmoo@slrpnk.net
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        1111 months ago

        Here’s a quote from Martin Luther King that I think is very relevant:

        First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action;” who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a “more convenient season.”

        Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

      • @ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        -711 months ago

        This. I don’t care how righteous your cause is. Get the fuck out of my way and go stab an oil exec if you actually want change.

  • @nomecks@lemmy.world
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    7111 months ago

    If you’re going to get six months for slow walking then you may as well make it six months for hurling rocks at Rishi Sunak.

  • @Clbull@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    As much as I loathe the civil disobedience tactics of movements like Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion; I feel like attacking our freedom to protest like this is going to backfire.

    This may push such groups into radicalism because “we’re going to prison anyway, may as well go all the way.”

  • AutoTL;DRB
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    1011 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    A climate activist has been jailed for six months after pleading guilty to taking part in a peaceful slow march protest on a London road.

    The sentence handed to Stephen Gingell, 57, is thought to be the first jailing under a new law that critics say makes anyone walking in a road liable for prosecution for “interference with key national infrastructure”.

    Gingell, a father of three from Manchester, was one of about 40 supporters of Just Stop Oil who spent about 30 minutes marching on Holloway Road in north London at about 4pm on 12 November, the climate campaign group said.

    The campaign’s “guerrilla tactics” were cited by the Home Office when it introduced the Public Order Act’s tough new anti-protest measures to parliament.

    Police began using section 7 to tackle Just Stop Oil’s protests at the end of October, arresting 60 people taking part in a march in Parliament Square.

    A spokesperson for the campaign said: “Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, a law drafted by the fossil fuel lobby, was introduced in April by Priti Patel, and covers ‘interference with the use or operation of key national infrastructure’.


    The original article contains 503 words, the summary contains 192 words. Saved 62%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

      • admiralteal
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        11 months ago

        It’s not really true, see: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/22/just-stop-oil-van-gogh-national-gallery-aileen-getty

        This is one donor, not “the person behind”. The family made a lot of money on oil and has since entirely divested. The “heiress” in question is on the record saying she believes climate change threatens all of civilization and so she wants to put her fortune – especially given that a lot of it came from oil – to use stopping fossil fuels.

        It’s basically EXACTLY what a sane person with a functional moral compass should do in that position, but it’s used as attack and slander regardless. Threads like this you ALWAYS see the right-wing talking points parroted faithfully by people who are either too gullible to do basic fact-checking or else are flatly disingenuous and manipulative.

  • @5in1k@lemm.ee
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    -1611 months ago

    Hey at least you’re unarmed and can’t fight back against your fascist government when they take your rights.

  • Jin
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    11 months ago

    Reminds me of vegans stopping and harassing people going to like a restaurant or fastfood chain.

    There is a right way to do and wrong way to do it. Making people mad isn’t going to help the cause, but push them in the wrong direction.

    https://news.sky.com/story/emergency-vehicles-blocked-by-just-stop-oil-protest-in-west-london-rush-hour-12717957

    https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/21/furious-mum-shouts-my-baby-needs-to-go-to-hospital-at-just-stop-oil-activists-19168421/

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/21/just-stop-oil-have-blood-hands-woman-dies-dartford-protest/

      • @AnarchistArtificer@lemmy.world
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        211 months ago

        A few years ago, I read about how Mary Molony was an Irish Suffragette who disrupted a speech Winston Churchill was giving in Dundee by ringing a bell every time he tried to speak. She wanted him to apologise for remarks he had made about the women’s suffrage movement.

        I remember when I read this, it reeked of something awesome that you find online that’s actually false (the story was shared on social media via a captioned photo with no sources), so I went digging for a proper source to check. I found some newspaper articles from 1908 and I learned that this event did happen, but also that people fucking hated Molony for this. There was a lot of “see, this is why everyone hates the Suffragettes”. (Sorry for saying this and then not sourcing)

        It makes sense that people would be salty - Churchill was an asshole, but also a great orator, so I can see why one might be disappointed in missing the chance to see him speak, but I was shocked at the level of vitriol aimed at Molony and other Suffragettes from the time. Until this I hadn’t realised just how unpopular they were at the time. It’s drastically changed my perspective on protests and public perception.

        • @chumbalumber@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          11 months ago

          And what’s interesting is that the suffragists (Millicent Fawcett chief among them) were at the same time working to peacefully lobby for suffrage, and yet they are not remembered remotely as much as the suffragettes.

          What I personally believe is that the more militant wings of movements work best when they are bringing into focus something that the public already broadly believes. When people say ‘I agree with their point, but not their methods’, they’re doing a whole lot of discussion of your issue, and agreeing with your message.

          At the same time I think you do need the quiet lobbying to be done to effectively push for specific legislation. Both a carrot to offer government an easy path, and a stick to keep it in the public spotlight.

    • Aniki 🌱🌿
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      1111 months ago

      Do EVERYONE a favor and pick up a history book at least ONCE in your sad little life.

    • @Schmoo@slrpnk.net
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      211 months ago

      The only people who say this are people who are ignorant of history. Here’s a quote from Martin Luther King that I think is very relevant:

      First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action;” who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a “more convenient season.”

      Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

  • @RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    These people keep causing problems and inconveniencing everyone except the people that actually have the influence to do what they want.

    The only thing they have accomplished is making “Just Stop” people look like clowns, and making everyone else dislike them and their message.

    Just Stop Oil activists are among the worlds ultimate clowns.

    • @echo64@lemmy.world
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      6611 months ago

      Yes, it’s the people who are protesting the thing that are wrong, down with them. Jail is too good for them, I saw on the news that five people were a little bit late to work that day, so obviously, we can’t stand them.

      Maybe you should stomach some of this contempt for the oil companies.

      • Jin
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        11 months ago
      • @AnneBonny@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        11 months ago

        Just so you are aware, there are people who believe Just Stop Oil is intentionally trying to make climate activists look bad because some of their funds come from a member of the Getty family. I first became aware of the conspiracy theory when they threw soup on that painting. I do not have the opinion that they demonstrate behavior that is significantly worse than any other group.

        I fund climate activism – and I applaud the Van Gogh protest
        Aileen Getty

        The Just Stop Oil protest shocked the world, but we must take disruptive action on the climate crisis before it’s too late

        I am the daughter of a famous family who built their fortune on fossil fuels – but we now know that the extraction and use of fossil fuels is killing life on our planet. Our family sold that company four decades ago, and I instead vowed to use my resources to take every means to protect life on Earth.

        People often come up with theories about my motivation to engage in the climate movement. My motivation is clear: I am fighting for a livable planet for my family and yours. I am not dwelling on the past. I am looking to build a better future.

        -https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/22/just-stop-oil-van-gogh-national-gallery-aileen-getty

        • @WarmApplePieShrek@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          011 months ago

          There’s nothing you can say or do to make climate activism palatable to those people. It’s best to ignore them, and steamroll them where it counts. The best revenge against them is stopping fossil fuels, and living well.

      • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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        -3011 months ago

        A valid protest targets the perpetrators of the offending acts, not the victims of those acts.

        Harassing people for having been victimized by a bad actor is not a protest. It’s a temper tantrum.

        • admiralteal
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          11 months ago

          So protesting is only ever acceptable if the only people impacted by the protests are precisely the offenders being protested. If anyone else is affected, protestors should go to jail for their heinous crime of protest. If the very people the protest target make themselves inaccessible to protesters, then protest is not allowed.

          • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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            -1911 months ago

            “The quarterback stole our lunch money, so we’re going to beat up the chess club.”

            That’s you. That’s what you sound like.

            • @echo64@lemmy.world
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              1011 months ago

              If you want to be apt about this, it’s more correct to say "The quarterback stole our lunch money, has been doing that for years, we asked the principal to step in, but they did nothing and gave the quarterback school funds. We put up banners asking the rest of the students to join in ousting the principal, but they did not pay attention, most of them didn’t even know there were banners as the school paper didn’t report on it. So now we are blocking the entrance to the school to bring attention to it.

              “Also, this weirdo on the internet keeps saying we are doing things just as bad as the quarterback because they had to take the side entrance, fucking weirdos man”

              • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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                -711 months ago

                Blocking the school doors would actually affect the quarterback, as well as all the other students. JSO isn’t blocking the school doors. “Beating up the chess club” is the much more appropriate analogy to JSO’s idiotic methods.

                The equivalent of blocking the school doors would be something like picketing fuel stations. Same operational concept: inconveniencing people to bring attention to the cause. Except now, the people suffering that inconvenience are actually a part of the oil production and distribution chain, and not just some random people going about their lives.

                • @echo64@lemmy.world
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                  611 months ago

                  They have been picketing fuel stations, refineries, more. It doesn’t work, you obviously didn’t take notice. What’s the point in doing something that doesn’t work, just, well I was going to say so “you” aren’t inconveniced but you never were inconveniced you’re just mad that someone else might be.

        • @echo64@lemmy.world
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          1011 months ago

          They did that for 40 years, and you didn’t give a shit and nothing changed. Every effective protest has been more than holding up signs. It’s caused inconvenience and disruption to society so that society takes notice .

        • @Guntrigger@feddit.ch
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          811 months ago

          So… anyone driving a car?

          Not saying they are the worst perpetrators, but if you’re saying it should only target offending acts then “just stopping oil” should be righteous in grinding pretty much every vehicle to a halt.

          • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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            -511 months ago

            The further up the chain you go, the more respect I will have for your cause. Target fuel stations instead of the general public, and we can talk.

            • @Guntrigger@feddit.ch
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              711 months ago

              Why are the poor petrol station workers the ones who should be bothered instead of people driving cars? It’s not going to annoy Shell, as a global mega corp, any more impactfully by blockading one of their stations. Its just the same annoyance with less impact and visibility.

              • Jin
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                -311 months ago

                But at least it’s less likely to affect emergency vehicles that way.

              • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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                -411 months ago

                The objective is to “stop oil”, is it not? With oil gone, those “poor petrol station workers” are going to be out of a job anyway. They’re part of the problem: they make their living selling oil. As employees working in the industry, they are legitimate targets for protest action.

                You don’t need to confine yourself to annoyance. Once you’re actually targeting someone profiting from the sale of oil, you can escalate your protest.

                Go dismantle their fuel hoses. They all have breakaway fittings to avoid causing serious damage if someone drives off with one. Go pull down some fuel hoses and put some pumps out of commission. Jam card readers. Hit E-Stop buttons. All are simple (albeit illegal) nuisances that don’t actually cause property damage, but will disrupt operations and gain attention.

                Want to go further? Target car dealers that sell only or mostly ICE vehicles. Go spray paint a red line separating the front and back halves of their lot. Tell them the front half of their lot is for electrics and plug-in hybrids only. Find an ICE vehicle in front of the red line, and their dealership will be targeted for protest actions. Again, because these are legitimate targets working against your cause, you can escalate well beyond simple annoyance.

                • @Guntrigger@feddit.ch
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                  611 months ago

                  What you’ve laid out there are a few ideas for much less legal and much less exposure rich disruption. Annoying small businesses profiting from the sale of oil vehicles and fuel isn’t going to make them pack up and start a new business and it’s certainly not going to get more exposure to the cause. Sure it’s an escalation, but you only want it so you don’t have to sit in a traffic jam.

                  The article is about someone getting jail tome for a peaceful protest which is quite outrageous. Getting jail time for actual vandalism would be less outrageous.

        • @theneverfox@pawb.social
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          511 months ago

          A valid protest draws attention… Past that, were talking effectiveness.

          I tend to agree that inconveniencing workers isn’t a good strategy in general… But we’re talking about it

          • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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            -511 months ago

            The only “talking” being done is a demand for more police action to be taken against such disruption. The general public has identified its “hero” as the tribal cop who shut down a similar protest in Nevada by driving his cruiser through a group of protesters, and arresting them at gunpoint.

            If your actions are so egregious as to make the public broadly yearn for American-style policing, you’be fucked up.

    • @hubobes@sh.itjust.works
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      2511 months ago

      …but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action‘ …

    • admiralteal
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      11 months ago

      Or you could say these protestors are regularly getting in headlines, showing that there’s an escalating culture of absolute rejection of social mores so long as major, vital changes don’t happen. Creating serious problems for bureaucrats and elected officials that forces a response that often makes those officials and bureaucrats look like assholes.

      The protests are factually inconveniencing and causing problems for people that have the influence to get policy changed, at least so long as democracy is functional. You aren’t going to be able to protest an oil magnate. They are not accessible for protest.

      Your thesis is that people will vote against climate protestors just because they were late getting to work one day. If that’s correct, we may as well get out the Flavor-Aid because this world’s beyond saving. Everyone needs to be reminded and thinking about this crisis. Every day. It needs to be front and center. Time is running out. We have the solutions needed to avoid catastrophe, but too many are simply not aware and thinking about how terrible the danger is and need daily reminding.

      We seem to be forgetting that protests once involved burning down neighborhoods and executing rulers. Which really is what we should be doing, given the enormity of the problem. This is a more civil compromise. Don’t buy into the media powers that want to turn you against anyone expressing discontent.

      If the Earth Day protests happened today, the media narrative around them would be “Look at all these fuckers, on the streets, stopping me from getting to the gas station to buy a Slim Jim!” It’s fucked. The attitude is fucked.

      • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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        -811 months ago

        The protests are factually inconveniencing and causing problems for people that have the influence to get policy changed, at least so long as democracy is functional.

        The only policy they are affecting is the policy on jaywalking.

        If the Earth Day protests happened today, the media narrative around them would be “Look at all these fuckers, on the streets, stopping me from getting to the gas station to buy a Slim Jim!” It’s fucked. The attitude is fucked.

        Yes, that is the effect that JSO is achieving with their idiocy. They are fucking that attitude right into the general public.

      • @NocturnalEngineer@lemmy.world
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        -1311 months ago

        They’re not specifically targeting their protests to inconvenience the influencers, politicians or industries supporting the licensing of Big Oil. The majority targets making a large spectacle, with a significant amounts of criminal damage - something to become news-worthy.

        Not once have I seen them promote alternative policy changes for oil & gas use. They’re also not promoting projects dealing with climate change.

        They’re certainly getting exposure, but they’re not winning the public vote. I agree with their cause, but I despise their methods.

        • admiralteal
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          11 months ago

          Ah, more ways you aren’t allowed to protest to add to the list.

          1. You aren’t allowed to protest unless the protest only affects the Officially Designated List (ODL) of “influencers”, politicians, or industries. Other people affected by protests is unacceptable.
          2. Democratic action cannot be a goal of protest. Protest must only be targeted to inconvenience bad guys (see ODL) and nothing else.
          3. Protests must not cause spectacle. The must be subdued, quiet, and easily ignored.
          4. Protestors must always be of a positive nature; only protests that have specific solutions and plans of actions are allowed. Protesting against things is unacceptable, you must only protest FOR things.
          5. Protest that involves property crime must be entirely shut down, permanently, with the entire organization tarred and feathered. ESPECIALLY if the property crime was throwing soup at a museum painting that was fully-sealed behind glass and totally protected. Protecting fine art matters more than keeping our civilization running.

          Let me know if you’ve got more Unacceptable Protest Options (UPOs). I’ll maintain the list for you.

    • nadram
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      1211 months ago

      The time and effort you put into typing this comment, would have been better spent discussing the more important, relevant and dangerous issues you can find simply in the headline. 1- big oil has our politicians in their pockets. 2- The UK government is putting people in jail for protesting, not rioting. And so what if you’re late for work? Are you so overpaid that you prioritize getting to the office on time over a protest to avoid planetary genocide? Turn off your car and join the march!!

      • Lath
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        -911 months ago

        The time and effort you put into typing this comment would have been better spent overthrowing your corrupt government and replacing it with an incorruptible one. Or at least a less corrupt one.
        Ah, but why do that when you can scold random people on the internet for not joining a protest you admit is pointless?

        And is it not pointless to protest when the government is corrupt? They will not care after all since they’re in someone’s pocket…
        Look around the world and say how many protests against corrupt, tyrannical governments actually work instead of being squashed into silent submission?

        Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t do something about it, but to do something that actually works instead of just walking down the street with a sign and then calling it a day once you’ve pissed off enough people.

    • AlwaysNowNeverNotMe
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      911 months ago

      Agreed they should show up to the oil executives houses drag their families out in the street and hang them from the streetlights from shortest to tallest.

      What are they going to do put them in prison? The same thing they do for a slow walking.

    • @Schmoo@slrpnk.net
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      -211 months ago

      The only people who fall for this propaganda from upholders of the status quo are ignorant of history. Here’s a quote from Martin Luther King that I think is very relevant:

      First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action;” who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a “more convenient season.”

      Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

    • @Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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      -1111 months ago

      You’re quite right, they never go after the politicians, or anyone with actual power. It’s always the average guy that ends up copping it.

      • LukefromDC
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        611 months ago

        @Ilovethebomb @RightHandOfIkaros The higher level politicians are better defended. It is often necessary to strike at targets that are both high value and soft. For every general secure in their fortress there are a dozen war profiteers just begging to be dragged to the front to clear their own mines.

        • @Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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          -311 months ago

          For every general secure in their fortress there are a dozen war profiteers just begging to be dragged to the front to clear their own mines.

          People driving to work aren’t the enemy.

          • LukefromDC
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            -211 months ago

            @Ilovethebomb The big multinational oil companies ARE-and their execs and those of their major stockholders have names and addresses.

            Since peaceful protests are getting so much whining about an obstruction less than that created by a minor functionary’s motorcade and now prosecution, I suggested targetting those execs personally as we did over HLS. Tell Shell etc to “Ask the FBI about Huntingdon Life Sciences”(they are US based but have offices globally).

    • AlphaOmega
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      -1611 months ago

      They are bankrolled by fossil fuel groups, right ?

      • admiralteal
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        No, that’s basically misinformation.

        There’s a major donor who’s the daughter of a family who’s previous generation made money on fossil fuels and has since divested and wants to distance themselves. Based on the fact that it is now clear how utterly destructive fossil fuels are.

        Conservatives / climate deniers use some parts of this fact as part of a campaign to discredit the organization and keep the media narrative around these protests on “oh, this style of protest does not match my aesthetics so it must be bad” instead of “the climate is on fire and the perpetrators are getting rich doing it and we should ALL be in the streets making noise and inconveniencing people until something is done.”

        • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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          -511 months ago

          Go picket gas stations. Same technique, similar level of disruption, but now the affected parties are actually part of the oil industry, and not just random people going about their lives.

          • admiralteal
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            11 months ago

            And how is picketing roads for cars any different than that?

            It’s fucking not and you know it. You just don’t like protests.

            • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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              -111 months ago

              Picketing roads targets the general public. Obstructing traffic violates about half of the articles in the UN declaration of Human Rights.

              There are plenty of things they can do to draw attention to the issue and effect meaningful change. Get 20 people together with cans of spray paint. Paint a simple line separating the front and back halves of a car dealership.

              Then start posting flyers and social media posts, telling that dealership to move all of its ICE cars behind that line. Only electrics and hybrids are allowed in front of it. If you find any ICE cars in front of that line after a certain date, the dealership will be targeted for protests. Now that they are targeting an entity actually supporting the oil industry, the gloves can come off.

              Next day, go paint a couple more red lines at different dealerships.

              • admiralteal
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                I like the way you shifted from gas stations to car dealerships when you realized that your first attempt really was the same thing.

                And now you’re okay with vandalism and threats of property crime, but making some people a little late to work oh that’s unacceptable. So long as the protest has no effect on you personally you won’t ban it. Thanks.

                • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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                  -111 months ago

                  I didn’t shift anything; there is a big difference between targeting the general public and targeting gas stations. I’ve posted some thoughts on such approaches to gas stations in other comments.

                  The point is that there are a whole host of viable targets to choose from. You don’t have to pick between just impossible to reach oil executives or random members of the general public. You can take aim at any number of viable targets in between, and take a wide variety of approaches toward them.

                  You are correct, I have few qualms with minor property damage in the course of non-violent protest, where such damage is necessary and reasonable for achieving an important goal.

                  The right to travel is sacrosanct. It is secondary only to the right to life itself.
                  Impeding a person’s travel violates about half of the articles in the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Yes, I have a big fucking problem with the cavalier attitude that JSO has toward stopping traffic.