They are back! Truck driver pleads ‘please let me pass’ as Just Stop Oil brings traffic to a standstill in central London as environmental activists begin three weeks of disruption hell

THIS is the moment a lorry driver begged environmental fanatics from Just Stop Oil to let him pass after they began to drive slowly out of Parliament this morning.

The video, filmed outside the Palace of Westminster, shows a crowd of activists unfurling banners in the street and beginning to march down the road.

After pleading with the protesters to get off the road and let him pass, a member of the group is seen approaching and speaking to the truck driver, who dismissively tells him they have “no choice” but to act.

As the group walked down the road, a stream of car horns could be heard as traffic stopped along the busy central London road. Police have since confirmed that they have arrested 15 people.

It is the first incident in a three-week plan of action planned by the campaign group across London which they claim will cause disruption on an “unprecedented scale”.

The Metropolitan Police pledged to “use all available powers” as part of its policing response to “just stop the oil” protesters to “allow Londoners to go about their daily business” during the group’s protests.

She also wrote to group members ahead of a new protest campaign later this month, asking them to work together to “ensure that any protest activity is lawful.”

As of last week, the Metropolitan Police said they had not yet received a response.

The latest action is Just Stop Oil’s first major development since the group’s summer of turmoil which saw them target major sporting and cultural events such as the Ashes and the Chelsea Flower Show.

On both occasions, the actions of environmental fanatics were thwarted by members of the public, and in the case of the Ashes: Jonny Bairstow himself, who was filmed hoisting a protester outside the Lords Stadium.

Speaking about today’s action, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Officers arrived within four minutes of receiving the initial report.

We have placed it in Section VII. Officers continue to make arrests under Article Seven of the Public Order Law. 15 people were arrested.

“The road has been cleared and traffic is moving freely.”

Just Stop Oil said all 65 members of the demonstration were arrested as a result of today’s action.

A Just Stop Oil spokesman said: “Just Stop Oil supporters are prepared to slow the march to the point of arrest today, and every day until police take action to prosecute the real criminals – the people who facilitate new oil and gas production when they know it.” Doing so would kill hundreds of millions of people.

“Just last week, seven people died in the UK as a result of extreme weather and scientists tell us it will only get worse. Neither major political party serves the interests of the country, they serve mass murderers and profit while the world burns.

There is no real opposition.

“In times of crisis, it is the responsibility of ordinary people to take a stand against the rich and powerful by disrupting business as usual. We know it works. A massive road blockade campaign has forced the Dutch government to halt oil and gas subsidies.

He added: ‘That’s why people from all over the UK are coming together to march day after day in London from today. Its people for oil! Sign up at JustStopOil.org’

Last week, activists from the group sprayed a dinosaur exhibit with orange paint inside the Natural History Museum in London, as they continued their ongoing campaign of demonstrations across the capital.

The environmental group said two protesters from the group used a children’s powder paint fountain to cover a reproduced Titanosaur skeleton in orange cornstarch just before 2pm last Thursday.

Consultant gastroenterologist Will Stapleforth and physiotherapist Steve Vay were filmed performing the trick inside the museum’s 30ft-tall Waterhouse Gallery, surrounded by shocked members of the public who watched in disbelief.

Then they sat on the ground under the huge projection screen and held up a sign that said: “For health, just stop oil.” One of the men was also wearing a T-shirt with the word “Doctor” written on the front.

The Metropolitan Police said they had arrested the two men on suspicion of criminal damage, while the museum said the gallery housing the display was “temporarily closed to visitors.”

Stapleforth, from Truro in Cornwall, previously said: “As a medical adviser to the NHS, I have spent many years caring for patients with diseases that are rooted in fossil fuels.

I did everything I could legally to get our message across. Most of it was ineffective, so it was time to break the law. I can’t see another way at this time.

“The climate crisis is a health emergency for every one of us. We demand an end to any new fossil fuels and immediate action on climate while prioritizing public health rather than big corporations.

Fay, from the Hebrides, added: “Such a long-extinct dinosaur, we are in grave danger of following in its footsteps.”

“We know we are in a climate emergency with collapses in weather patterns and millions of deaths on the near horizon, yet our government seeks to exploit oil and gas reserves more than ever before.”

If we do not act now, the repercussions will become more severe than ever. As a health professional, I know that this will cause great suffering and death for many millions of people. I made the decision to take direct, nonviolent action because I have a moral obligation as a health care professional to do everything I can to prevent harm.

Just Stop Oil claimed that fifteen officers attended the scene at the museum and arrested the two men.

“Today’s action follows the Supreme Court’s rejection on Friday of the legal challenge brought by Uplift and Greenpeace against the government’s decision to approve new offshore oil and gas,” the group said in a statement.

He added that “health workers have a long and celebrated tradition of participating in disruptive, non-violent protests” and that today’s actions “continue in that spirit.”

The group continued: ‘In November, we call for daily marches in London until the government comes to its senses and stops producing new oil and gas. The Just Stop Oil campaign calls on everyone to join civil resistance.

The incident at the Natural History Museum came just a day after a group of Just Stop Oil protesters sprayed the Wellington Arch with orange paint before being arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.