"Small Voices, Big Actions or Extreme Times, Extreme Measures?" by Sylvia Kathirkamanathan

Social media’s intention to unite people is at times skewed and results in the exact opposite. This phenomenon is exemplified by the demonstrations in the United Kingdom by Just Stop Oil. Just Stop Oil was inspired by the Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain, all three being widely known environmental activists and climate change demonstration groups in the UK. They define themselves as “a coalition of groups working together to ensure the government commits to halting new fossil field licensing and production.” In recent months, protesters of the organization have taken controversial measures to spread their messages, such as disturbing the British Grand Prix and closing the M25 among other large-scale tactics and exhibitions. These public demonstrations were intended to be non-violent civil resistances to government fossil fuel usage but have often escalated, leading to about 2,000 arrests of supporters since April 2022 with 5 of those individuals going to prison. Despite these consequences, the organization promises to continue with these demonstrations until their demands are met and even suggests the potential of going beyond the current modes of disruptions.

The major demonstration that escalated the exposure of Just Stop Oil from sit-down protests to its platform today was when Just Stop Oil activists Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland threw tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflower painting at the National Gallery in London in October 2022. This incident took the media by storm. People were divided, some saying they understood the intention of the act and others saying it was bothersome.

Just Stop Oil has gained a global audience through social media and relies on that coverage to keep itself trending. By doing so, they are able to reach a wide audience who are attracted to their controversial tactics and express their reasoning for their actions. That being said, not all publicity is good publicity. By stirring up conversations through antics such as these demonstrations, the focus of these arguments focuses on the severity of the demonstrations rather than the purpose of the acts.

Although they have good intentions, Just Stop Oil has alienated supporting forces through questionable actions and has divided its audience. The organization is reliant on grand actions that attract more widespread media coverage through social media platforms and news channels, and thus the core message is drowned in the debates of their effectiveness and true goals. These goals include demanding the UK government immediately cease all future licensing and consents for the promotion of fossil fuel usage. Just Stop Oil wants to stop the UK government from approving 40 new North Sea oil and gas fields and instead pass the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill. The purpose of this bill is to create a new law to promote the most up-to-date science in discussions and mitigations of climate change issues, as a result keeping the country accountable for its part in combating climate change. This includes promoting initiatives such as ceasing and reversing the destruction of nature by 2030, climate and nature assemblies for emergency strategies and other strategies within the Government and Parliament. The bill and its campaigners have garnered support from over 150 parliamentarians from all major political parties in the UK.

Public opinion over Just Stop Oil narrows down to two main groups of people; one that believes Just Stop Oil’s extreme actions are warranted given the extent of the climate crisis, and the other that believes these actions distract from the problem and are more of a nuisance than productive. Climate change group MP Watch expressed concerns over the demonstration tactics of Just Stop Oil, claiming their methods demonize environmental activism. MP Watch suggested a more moderate and dynamic route in which people may engage as allies instead of participating in risky and controversial behaviour. Nonetheless, Just Stop Oil has garnered support from groups such as Greenpeace, applauding disruptive action as a way to make people listen. Just Stop Oil considers the media coverage gained as confirmation of a winning strategy, whether that coverage is good or bad. Additionally, they consider the negative implications of their actions on people as a demand for action, overshadowing raising awareness.

Garnering media attention is a difficult task for those promoting important topics to the public, especially with many social media outlets having ever-changing lists of trending topics that count on the impact of the topic carrying big audiences. If the topic is not trending, it will simply disappear into a hole of other contenders.

Unfortunately, when promoting a cause, it is sometimes not enough to just have passion and ambition; an eye-catching action is necessary to spark a conversation. But a limit and boundary must be respected to ensure the main goal is not buried and overlooked. Many do not take climate change seriously, from governments to political parties to members of the public. Therefore, when climate change advocacy groups such as Just Stop Oil utilize dramatic tactics to promote their message, they end up providing non-believers with ammunition to fuel their suspicion.

Some movements rely on grander tactics to push a needed agenda and gather widespread media attention, but it is understanding how to balance gaining supporters and getting too caught up in the publicity. For example, throwing soup at the Van Gogh painting gained great media attention, but the message Just Stop Oil was promoting was deeply buried in comments and articles on the controversy of the act and taunts. In a world where science does not seem to be enough to make people care about the issue, it is important not to fuel their agenda and do what is most effective for the cause, whether that be resilient tactics as a way to set up a conversation with the government or putting a greater focus on public campaigning for the bill.

Just Stop Oil is campaigning for a much needed and important cause for the UK that has the potential to expand to other countries and promote real change regarding the issue. That being said, their approach to publicizing the cause through Civil Disobedience and Resilience could land them in trouble in the future. With so many eyes and cameras following their every move, it is crucial that they use that to their advantage and execute the most effective way to reach their goals.