Just Stop Oil Protestors Attack Local Petrol Stations

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Machines smashed on Western Avenue, Talgarth Road and on the A4

A protestor smashing a petrol pump at the garage in Brentford. Picture: Just Stop Oil

Protestors from an environmental action group have attacked and closed a petrol station in Brentford this Friday morning (26 August).

The Esso garage at the junction of the A4 and Ealing Road was one of seven stations across central and west London which were targeted by the Just Stop Oil group.

Starting at 6am, around 50 activists moved from station to station with some of them being arrested before others moved on to a new target. Stations on Western Avenue and Talgarth Road in Hammersmith were also hit.

Protestors took hammers to smash display glass on the pumps to render them inoperable and daubed the machines with paint. They also blocked access to the station by sitting at entry points and unfurling banners and at some stations they glued themselves to pumps.

A woman is handcuffed and arrested during the Brentford protest. Picture: Just Stop Oil

The police attended and a number of arrests were made at the Brentford station.

The protestors are demanding that the UK government end new oil and gas projects in the UK. They say that approval has been given for 46 new oil and gas projects and they had deliberately timed their protest to coincide with the increase in the energy price cap.

Protestors sat at the entrance to block access. Picture: Just Stop Oil

One of the protestors, 34-year-old Tez Burns, a bicycle mechanic and physics graduate from Swansea taking action today said, “I can't live with myself, knowing what I know, without doing all I can to stop new oil and gas. We are suffering the worst cost of living crisis in 40 years and facing climate breakdown because of our dependence on oil. Yet the government is allowing energy companies to drive us into poverty with skyrocketing energy bills, and is failing to protect us from the consequences of climate collapse. Enough is enough.

“We are not special, we are ordinary people, with different backgrounds and stories to tell, who have overcome the fear of causing disruption. We know from history that nonviolent civil resistance works. Will you also step up and join us, or will you look back in 10 years wishing that you had?”

56-year-old Stephen Gingell, from Manchester said, “I don't want my beautiful boys to suffer horribly and their lives to be cut short with food shortages and riots due to climate collapse. The brutal truth is more burning of oil and gas is an act of genocide. The oil companies and the government know this. So why are they leading us into this slaughter? “

Banners were unfurled outside the stations. Picture: Just Stop Oil

The action at the petrol station follows action earlier in the week by the same group to interrupt supplies at the Navigator and Grays depots in Essex and the Kingsbury terminal in Warwickshire. A series of four tunnels have been constructed under access roads to the depots resulting in highway closures and the disruption of supplies.

Police said they were called at 6.30am and arrested four men and one woman on suspicion of criminal damage at a petrol station on Talgarth Road in Hammersmith. They remain in custody at a west London police station. Officers are at each of the targeted locations, where there have been more arrests and specialist teams are removing those who are glued to pumps.

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August 26, 2022