‘Pick a side’: Just Stop Oil stages ‘slow march’

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners were out in force in Reading on Saturday, ahead of further protests in London next week.

removal or removal by another person. They also come with a second round as backup if there are complications with the first shot, or it proves ineffective. Its design also means the device is slightly more powerful.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob France, responsible for the Joint Operations Unit between TVP and Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said: “Since the Home Office approved the T7, following rigorous testing, we have been looking into introducing this to replace the current X2 devices our people use.

“Ensuring the safety of all in our communities, in particular the most vulnerable, is a key priority, and taser has an important part to play in this.

“All taser trained officers go through a comprehensive training programme, and continual refresher training, to ensure it is being used lawfully and appropriately.

“Of course, we will always do all we can to resolve a situation without needing to use force; however, there are occasions when we must do so for the safety of the public, to ensure the safety of ourselves, or for the safety of the person involved in the incident.”

ACC France added: “The use of police tactics, including any use of taser, whether it is discharged or only used as a visual deterrent, is closely scrutinised.

“The trust and confidence of those we serve is extremely important to us.”

More than 30 activists from Just Stop Oil (JSO) took part in a slow march through the town centre showing objection for the continued development of oil and gas-based energy projects and fossil fuel licences.

The action is arguing that advice from the United Nations and the International Energy Agency, among others, recommends the immediate cessation of oil and gas projects.

Slow marches are a deliberately disruptive practice, but entirely legal as a form of protest, with participants also handing out leaflets and carrying banners.

Protesters were also changing the discourse around fossil fuels, as JSO says people must: “pick a side”.

Statements released by the organisation read: “Either you are actively supporting civil resistance, fighting of your life, or you are complicit with genocide.”

Activists were joined by a sister protest in Cambridge, with further protests planned for a weekend of disruption in London.

Extinction Rebellion is set to protest outside the Houses of Parliament this week, of which Just Stop Oil has said they will be a part.

They will follow up with their own protest on Monday, where participants will again take part in another slow march through the capital.

Jamie, who took part in the slow march in Reading, said: “In the 1980s, the Conservative government closed the coal mines, deeming them too expensive to run and plunging the masses into poverty.

“Now, in a time of soaring energy bills, there is a new coal mine being forced upon us – this is the actions of a greed driven genocidal government and we in Just Stop Oil will do everything non-violently possible to stand in their way.