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27 Just Stop Oil activists arrested in coordinated raid after group threatened to disrupt summer holidays
28 June 2024, 11:21 | Updated: 28 June 2024, 13:04
A total of 27 Just Stop Oil activists were arrested in coordinated raids on Friday morning, police have said.
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The arrests took place in London, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Devon, Essex, Manchester, Surrey, Sussex, Norfolk and West Yorkshire on suspicion of planning to disrupt airports this summer.
It comes after six members of the group, some described as being ‘key organisers’ were arrested in Hackney, in east London last night.
They were at an event at Haggerston Community Centre, promoted by Just Stop Oil as: ‘From Roads to Runways – A Just Stop Oil Talk’.
Officers had warned the eco-activists are planning to disrupt airports and holidaymakers over the summer, saying the arrests were made under a section of the Public Order Act which makes it illegal to conspire to disrupt national infrastructure.
One Just Stop Oil source said the arrests were “pathologically evil”.
The number, they said, is likely to be higher as there are other members that they “are struggling to reach”.
Home visits are understood to have been made in cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Norwich and Oxford.
Arrests were made under Section 7 of the Public Order Act, which was passed by parliament at the start of 2023, preventing the conspiracy, planning and preparation for certain disruptive activities.
The Just Stop Oil source claimed their house had been raided this morning, saying: “They’re really stepping up. This was co-ordinated and it’s pathologically evil, in my eyes.
"They raided my house looking for someone else that isn’t here, but it’s put me in a really bad mood”.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “We continue to work with airport operators and others to prevent significant disruption.
“Anyone who disrupts the safety and security of an airport can expect to be dealt with swiftly and robustly.”
