Just Stop Oil activists hold up traffic with slow march in Camden
Some members of the public argued with the protesters, accusing them of making children late for school in Camden Town.
Tuesday 9 May 2023 12:49, UK
Just Stop Oil activists have left commuters "very angry" after they held a slow march to disrupt traffic in Camden Town in north London during rush hour.
The group held up banners reading "Just Stop Oil" and walked slowly in front of vehicles from Delancey Street to Chalk Farm.
The protest was observed by police but officers did not intervene.
Some members of the public argued with the protesters, accusing them of holding up children on their way to school.
Ayl, 53, told the PA news agency: "I am upset because my son has an appointment for over a month.
"Now, today, he is going to miss that appointment.
"They might not be able to see him now until next month. He needed to attend that office today.
"There are a lot of kids in that bus; they need to go to school."
She said the protest was "unfair".
"They could do it after the kids are in school," she said. "Then I can understand."
She added: "I am very angry."
Some people showed their support for the march by clapping and cheering as they passed by.
Addressing the public, Just Stop Oil activist Sophie, 30, said the protest is "the scariest thing" she has done.
"I don't want to be here," she said.
"This is the scariest thing I've ever done but I am terrified. I'm just an ordinary person."
She added: "But how can I bring a child into this world when the government are not safeguarding our future?"
A number of Just Stop Oil demonstrators were arrested at the King's coronation on Saturday after the Met said it received information that protesters were "determined to disrupt" the event - including defacing public monuments with paint, breaching barriers and disrupting official movements.
But campaigners said the protests were "peaceful", describing the arrests as "a dangerous precedent for us as a democratic nation".