Just Stop Oil disrupt St Paul's Thanksgiving service with silent protest in front of hundreds of worshippers

23 November 2023, 14:11

Just Stop Oil eco-protesters have staged their latest demonstration during a silent Thanksgiving service inside St Paul’s cathedral.

A pair of activists stood up at the front of today’s service holding banners saying ‘just stop oil’ and ‘will our children thank us?’.

The protest was carried out by  Sue Parfitt, 81, an active Anglican priest and retired psychotherapist from Bristol, and Judy Bruce, 83, a biology teacher from Swansea. 

 The group issued a statement saying: “Today, in St Paul's Cathedral is the Thanksgiving Service when Americans especially celebrate family life. But here in Britain, young people are being imprisoned for saying: 'We fear for our future - will we be able to have families of our own?’

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“Eight years ago, our governments pledged to reduce carbon emissions - but they, along with twenty of the largest oil-producing nations, are now planning to increase oil and gas production”

'We are two women in our eighties who feel we must do whatever we can before we die to turn this around. Our young people need hope — but hope must be earned by action.”

Other members of the group carried out a protest on Whitehall.

The Met Police tweeted earlier: “For the third successive day officers have arrested 12 Just Stop Oil activists within two minutes. 

“Whitehall also reopened in the same amount of time. These arrests were made by officers who could have been working in our 32 London boroughs."