Just Stop Oil has complained about the strict bail conditions imposed on its activists yesterday after they were barred from entering London over their disruptive protests.
More than 60 eco zealots were arrested in Parliament Square on Monday as the group began a 30-day campaign of disruption on an ‘unprecedented scale’.
The Metropolitan Police said that 31 protesters were charged, with 17 bailed ahead of court appearances and 14 remanded in custody.
A bail conditions letter shared by JSO on X, formerly Twitter, said that the activists were barred from the capital to ‘prevent further offences’.
It read: ‘Not to enter London, inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway unless answering bail at a police station, attending a court hearing or to visit a solicitor by prior appointment.’
Just Stop Oil protesters blocked traffic by ‘slow marching’ across Parliament Square before dozens of demonstrators were arrested by police officers, 30 October 2023
Police detain an activist during a Just Stop Oil protest in Parliament Square on October 30
Responding to the bail conditions, the group said: ‘The Met Police like to say they want to ‘facilitate’ protests.
‘The conditions imposed on people arrested show otherwise. No protesting in the street in London… In fact don’t even enter London… we want the police to investigate the real criminals.’
It comes after Scotland Yard told eco zealots it was ‘unacceptable’ that officer time and resources were being wasted at a time of surging hate crime and heightened fears of a terror attack prompted by the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Dozens of officers and police vehicles were taken away from other frontline duties during Monday’s protest, which saw activists in orange hi-vis jackets blocking roads and ‘slow marching’ until they were arrested.
The environmental activist group, which was formed in early 2022, has received criticism and praise for its methods of protest, which have included blocking roads and vandalising buildings. Pictured: an activist is detained in Parliament Square, London, on October 30
Met Commander Kyle Gordon said: ‘This is an extremely busy time for officers across London who are providing reassurance to communities following the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
‘It’s unacceptable that we are having to remove officers, who are carrying out vital work in their communities at a time where there is a large number of hate crime being reported to us, to police Just Stop Oil.
‘We also know the majority of the public has reached their tolerance with Just Stop Oil, which on occasion is over- spilling into violence. It’s clear the public has had enough.’