A Just Stop Oil activist has admitted he would be “furious” were the group’s protest tactics disrupting him.
In an exclusive interview with GB News, activist Alex de Koning was questioned whether the group can take “responsibility” over mass disruption caused by actions taken by the group.
Questioned over people being “hurt” by protests, he told Bev Turner: “I’m really sorry to anyone who has been caught up in this and it’s terrible that this is happening. But we need climate action and that’s why we’re doing this. We care about people, we really do, and that’s why we’re trying to defend the future of all life on Earth.”
De Koning spoke after yet another day of protests by Just Stop Oil which has seen activists scaling off bridges on the M25, causing huge traffic jams.
GB News’s Bev Turner argued that there may be people in hospital because of the group “trying to make a point”.
She pointed out the “irony” in passing off the actions as a “compassionate act” saying it has left people “absolutely furious” due to them missing important events such as hospital appointments and funerals.
In response the activist told GB News: “This is terrible, I’d be furious too if I was caught up in that traffic, if I missed a funeral or an appointment. But the real question people have to be asking is: Why are people taking actions like this?”
Just Stop Oil said around 10 of its supporters climbed on to overhead gantries in “multiple locations” on the M25 from 6.30am on Wednesday, in what is the third consecutive day of protests on the UK’s busiest motorway.
They have been joined by activists from Animal Rebellion, a group campaigning for “a plant-based food system”.
Officers were also at Junction 30 of the M25, where one Just Stop Oil protester had climbed a gantry, while one person was stopped.
Police warned the action would cause disruption to traffic in the area.
Surrey Police confirmed one protester was on a gantry near Junction 8 on the motorway.
The force said: “Officers are proactively patrolling the rest of the M25, as they have been all week.”
