A pair of men who clambered onto police vans as part of a climate change protest in central London are brothers from Tayside, it has emerged.
Dan and Tom Johnson, from Dunkeld, were two of five people from Scotland arrested this week for their part in the Just Stop Oil action, which has caused havoc in Westminster.
Dan, 24, and Tom, 29, mounted their protest from the top of police vans, making statements and holding signs, before being removed by a specialist team.
Hundreds of campaigners have been taking daily action in the capital’s centre for the last two weeks, demanding an end to new gas and oil projects in the UK.
Some have glued themselves to the tarmac, blocking The Mall near Buckingham Palace on Monday and Downing Street on Wednesday.
Dunkeld pair’s protest
Dan and Tom both say they were arrested at each protest.
Neither has yet been charged with any offence.
The Metropolitan Police said it does not confirm the names of those arrested until they are charged.
Nearly 350 people have been arrested in the past fortnight.
🚓 WE’LL STOP WHEN THEY STOP 🚓
🏃♂️ Earlier today, two supporters of Just Stop Oil scaled a van each outside Downing Street, demanding that the Government ends new oil and gas.#FreeLouis #FreeJosh #CivilResistance #A22Network #JustStopOil #NoNewOil #EnoughIsEnough pic.twitter.com/XCg8M0DQR8
— Just Stop Oil ⚖️💀🛢 (@JustStop_Oil) October 12, 2022
Dan said from the roof of the van: “I’m taking action because the scientists are giving us a clear message – we face societal collapse due to crop failures as the fossil fuel giants burn our planet and make it uninhabitable.
“This is happening now and our government is making it worse by licensing new oil and gas. We need to stop them.”
Tom also made a statement from the roof of a separate police van, while holding a picture of his daughter.
“I’m here because I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t do everything I can to protect our future.
“I have a little daughter and as much as I love her and would love to be spending time with her and not in jail, away from her, this is even bigger than my daughter.
“This is the last chance we have.”
Dundee campaigner
Just Stop Oil says the blockades are timed to coincide with the planned launch of a new round of oil and gas licensing.
James Morwood, 27, a video game developer from Dundee, has also been involved.
He said: “I’m taking action because I’ve run out of options.
“I’ve spent years changing my habits and framing my life around sustainability to reduce my impact on the climate but we need the government to stop all new oil and gas projects if we’re to have any hope of avoiding climate catastrophe, which will kill billions.
“I’m taking action for the people right now who’ve been displaced from their homes because of the climate crisis.
“I say to anyone listening that the time has passed for us to stand by and watch as governments make false promises.”
Protests to continue
Supporters of Just Stop Oil say they will continue the disruption until the government pledges to end all new oil and gas projects in the UK.
On Friday, two members threw tomato soup at Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in the National Gallery, before supergluing themselves to the wall.
Activists with @JustStop_Oil have thrown tomato soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the national Gallery and glued themselves to the wall. pic.twitter.com/M8YP1LPTOU
— Damien Gayle (@damiengayle) October 14, 2022
Another was charged in connection with the vandalism of a memorial for Covid-19 fundraiser Captain Tom Moore.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley: “Every day more than 200 officers are policing these protests in London and over the last 11 days we have made 338 arrests.
“I am frustrated so many officers are being taken away from tackling issues that matter most to communities.”
