On October 16, climate activists splattered orange paint over an Aston Martin dealership in the heart of London as the government promised new police powers to quell a growing wave of “direct action” protests.
Members of the group Just Stop Oil also organised a sit-in protest on Park Lane, which is home to the sports carmaker’s store in a posh part of London.
Two Just Stop Oil campaigners threw tomato soup over one of Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” paintings at London’s National Gallery on Friday, prompting the reaction.
The same gang staged a second demonstration on Friday, this time spray-painting the London Metropolitan Police’s headquarters, leading to the detention of 28 protesters.
Then, on Saturday, Animal Rebellion demonstrators demanded the abolition of cattle farming by pouring milk onto store floors and window displays at upscale merchants throughout Britain, including Harrods in London.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, announced that she would introduce tougher legislation this week in response to citizen protests organised by organisations like Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion.
The government would be able to request court orders to forbid such protests in advance, which would facilitate police protection of “vital” supplies, services, and infrastructure.
The conservative Braverman issued a statement in which he claimed, “I will not yield to activists trying to hold the British taxpayers to ransom.”
“Neither the freedom of expression nor the right to human rights are violated by this major and dangerous disruption or the vandalism. It needs to stop.
Chloe Thomas, a 19-year-old woman who is expecting her first child, claimed she was battling to preserve humanity’s future generations outside the Aston Martin shop.
Since the new U.K., Just Stop Oil’s campaign has intensified. To combat an increase in energy prices brought on by Russia’s war in Ukraine, the administration of Prime Minister Liz Truss promised to permit new offshore fossil fuel drilling.
