Six people have been arrested after ‘Just Stop Oil’ activists splurged paint onto famous London buildings, including the News UK building on London Bridge Street.
The environmental group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which saw activists squirt paint at the Bank of England, the Home Office, the MI5 building and News UK, at around 8.30am on Monday, October 31.
Police responded to the paint attack on News UK, the home of major news outlets including The Times, The Sun, TalkRADIO and others, at 8.29am.
They said #JustStopOil should pick more worthy targets. Alrighty then.
Rupert Murdoch's News UK building Painted
Orange | London | 31 October 2… https://t.co/3pQZgvlrAw via @YouTube— panicbutton (@panicbutton15) October 31, 2022
They made one arrest for criminal damage at 8.46am. Five more arrests were made for similar incidents at the other locations.
Videos show the activists armed with fire extinguishers splurging paint over the buildings’ walls and doors.
Just Stop Oil said the buildings it targeted were chosen to represent “the four pillars that support and maintain the power of the fossil fuel economy — government, security, finance and media”.
At the MI5 building in Millbank, a bystander appears to intervene, causing an activist to spray paint on themselves. All those arrested have been taken into custody at a central London police station.
This courageous bystander – who turned the Just Stop Oil paint back on the vandal – has earned more public respect in 30 seconds than the Metropolitan Police have achieved all year
We need more like him!
— Martin Daubney ?? (@MartinDaubney) October 31, 2022
Speaking outside Thames House, home of MI5, environmentalist Tez Burns said: “We want our future back… the UN says you need to act, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) says you need to attack, the IMF (International Monetary Fund), the World Bank say you need to act and yet the government does nothing!”
She added: “And here I am, a normal person, having to do this?”
Just Stop Oil is demanding the government immediately halts all future licensing and consent for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK.
This is the latest in a string of acts of civil disobedience by the group, including throwing beans at Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ at the National Gallery.
On Thursday, October 13, Just Stop Oil protestors glued themselves to the St George’s Circus roundabout, resulting in 20 arrests.
Just Stop Oil protestors glue themselves to St George’s Circus roundabout