Call the bastards’ bluff.
An assistant police chief has called the bluff of eco-warriors who tunnelled beneath an oil refinery then complained about the road being reopened to traffic by suggesting they are ‘welcome to come out at any time’.
After Just Stop Oil activists dug two tunnels underneath entrances to the Navigator oil terminal at Saint Clements Way and Stoneness Road in Essex, they warned the decision to partially reopen the roads was dangerous and could ‘risk their collapse’.
So they engaged in an act of vandalism then expect others to worry about their elf’n’safety. Well, ‘fuck off’ is the appropriate response and it seems that they got it. Given how much I despise these scumbags, I’d be perfectly happy for it to collapse and leave them there. I wouldn’t even bother to recover the bodies. Let them rot. It really is time a firm line was taken with this kind of ‘protest.’ Not least, they should be sued to recover the costs of repairing the damage.
Essex Police assistant chief constable Glen Pavelin rejected the idea, saying it was up to the protestors to remove themselves from the tunnels they had climbed into to avoid endangering themselves and others.
He said: ‘The people who have dug themselves into the tunnels are welcome to come out at any time.
A policeman doing his job. Well, let’s celebrate that one.
‘Yesterday, we arrested 28 people who had travelled to Thurrock from outside of Essex to cause disruption and made a further 11 arrests today regarding an incident of criminal damage in Grays.
‘This has involved a significant policing plan and resources to keep everyone safe, to tackle criminal offences taking place and to uphold the law.
‘We respect the right for peaceful protest but those intent on causing disruption and putting themselves and the safety of others at risk will not be tolerated.’
Exactly. Zero tolerance. Also, turn a blind eye when members of the public deal with these self righteous, entitled brats. What they are doing is not protest, it is vandalism and harassment.
This is interesting. A one hundred and eighty degree about face in the attitude of the police to these people, I’m left wondering why? Six months ago the police were standing aside and watching these law breakers, their only purpose being to protect them from being assaulted by outraged motorists. As for anti oil protesters, when they start living an oil free lifestyle themselves I might take them a bit more seriously.
I think this about face might have started post the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. When those arrested were up in court, they were remanded for trial at some date, possibly September, maybe even October but, and this is the BIG turnaround, two were remanded in custody. I wonder which holiday camp that was?
Update: next court appearance is due to be 3rd October.
I saw on tv the people in the tunnel, what I thought was, ‘why are they using plastic black bags and plastic bottles containing water’ . Plastic is one of the worse pollutants of the oil industry. It’s in the ground, in the fish and plants and animals. Even in us. It could potentially be harmful and should be used sparingly. Find it very odd that eco warriors are surrounding themselves with it.
Hypocrisy is what they do.
They just don’t know where plastic, or anything else for that matter, comes from. Do you remember clothing company North Face virtue signalling by refusing to supply workwear to the oil industry? Guy from said oil company had to remind them what synthetic fibres are made out of.
If they weren’t terminally dense, they wouldn’t be doing what they are doing.
Put yourself deliberately in harms way don’t be surprised if harm befalls you, something the rest of us discovered way back in childhood.
A refreshing change to see a real copper saying what they should have been saying from the start, let us hope it catches on.
The police have plenty of powers to deal with these protestors in a quick, direct and reasonable manner. The fact that they were not doing so and in fact (arguably) enabling these protests by turning up and protecting protestors from the wrath of road users was being a bit of a PR nightmare. But what do you expect when the police seem more interested in virtue signalling their LGBT+ credentials and dancing on TikTok than actually enforcing the laws of the land.
There is certainly a change in the air post-Silverstone, but I suspect it is more about fear of actual political intervention (forcing the police to do their jobs rather than persecuting people for saying mean things on Twatter) that has led to the change of approach.
All these protests require is instead of rushing out to intervene, let the general public express their wrath on these idiots for an hour or two and then, instead of sending PC Sally Lesbian to deal with the mopping up, send Constable Savage and his hobnail boots.
After all, the Just Stop Oil crew are nothing more than a nest of Marxists and need to be stopped the good old fashioned way. Then dig out Judge Cocklecarrot for a bit of old fashioned justice. Fine them for the full cost of repairs, criminal damage and tag Just Stop Oil as a criminal (or even terrorist) conspiracy along the way, straight to prison and no bail. That’ll make these buggers think twice.
“tag Just Stop Oil as a criminal (or even terrorist) conspiracy”
Espionage. See https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/19/russia-secretly-working-with-environmentalists-to-oppose-fracking
Does anybody recall what happened in France? A protestor glued himself to the road and a riot policeman simply pulled him away, ripping his hand in the process. Not what the protestor expected.
Perhaps if we adopted something similar here there would be less of the kind of mindless behaviour by such ecoactivists and more thought into making an argument rather than a theatrical display.
I think it was Italy, actually. Similarly Italian road users were dragging the Marxists off the road and throwing them in the gutter, whereas in the UK a parent trying to get her kids to school on time was prosecuted for nudging a protestor sat in the middle of the road.
Time to sack all the police sans pension and compo, return to the Peelian principles of a POLICE FORCE and only re-employ those who are prepared to do the job the public expects AND DEMANDS that they do (i.e. not virtue signalling on TikTok or harassing people for saying rude things on Twatter).
Bloody Hell! ESSEX Police did that? Julia must have got through to them at last!
It would be nice to think so, but I suspect these orders come from on high. I suspect Priti’s been doing some stiffening of resolve.
Probably because her jobs at risk because she didn’t come out for Liz earlier (or at all, even). Never mind, probably better to have change at the Home Office because she’s clearly being frustrated over policing and Rwanda at the moment. New blood might give a little umph.
In a “be careful for what you wish for” mood, when (not “if”) the Governments introduce a social credit system like China where your bank account can be frozen and you can be blocked from purchasing items the Government decides you can’t have, then …
IF (and it is a very big “IF”) a sensible government gains power, they should prevent these people from purchasing anything that they are currently objecting to (petrol, foreign holidays, cars, anything made out of plastic, electricity, gas, glue etc. etc. and so forth). Live the life you advocate, eh?
I would ALMOST be tempted to support such a social credit system but it would be applied to everyone not in Government circles and their favoured minions. So it will remain a pleasant day dream for me.
They are lucky opening the road is all it is. If it was down to me I’d fill the hole back up with cement and entomb the bastards right there.
Well, I’d be sorely tempted to do that.
Archaeologists could discover them in 1000 years time and speculate why they were there.
Evidence of Darwinism in action