Protesters block oil depot near Heathrow as action enters fourth day
Environmental activists have blocked a major oil terminal near Heathrow airport, as protesters’ blockades of fuel distribution facilities around England enter a fourth day.
About 30 members of Extinction Rebellion (XR) arrived at the Esso West facility in west London at about 4am, where they erected two bamboo lock-on structures, XR said.
According to the environmental protest group’s statement, once they had blocked the entrance, the group unfurled two large banners that said: “Join Us – London 9th April” and “Stop Fossil Fuels Now”.
Andrew Smith, from Extinction Rebellion, said: “We’re here to say that climate action cannot wait. Right now, governments are choosing to exploit the crisis in Ukraine to hand out oil licences and continue the fossil fuel economy that’s destroying us.
“They are exploiting public fear and disorientation at a time of crisis when people’s bills are going up to advance corporate-friendly policies incapable of attracting democratic support.”
It is the fourth time since Friday that XR has blockaded the same oil terminal, while other environmental protesters struck at nine other oil terminals over the weekend as part of a campaign to disrupt the UK’s fuel distribution infrastructure which activists have dubbed “Just Stop Oil”.
Just Stop Oil has vowed to continue their “civil resistance” protests until the government agrees a moratorium on all new fossil fuel projects and claims it has more than 1,000 supporters willing to be arrested for taking part.
On Friday, supporters of the campaign blocked 10 refineries around the country, including three in the Midlands, three in Essex, two in Hampshire, one in London and one in Hemel Hempstead. On Saturday, they blocked seven terminals and a major lorry park
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