'We'll win in the end': Eco activist likens road protests to Suffragettes as he defends blocking M25
8 November 2022, 17:32 | Updated: 8 November 2022, 18:17
An eco activist has likened road protests to the Suffragettes and gay rights movement as he defends blocking the M25.
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Speaking to LBC's Tom Swarbrick, Just Stop Oil spokesman Grahame Buss insisted that the group "will win in the end" as history shows non-violent, civil resistance works.
He pointed to the Suffragettes, who campaigned for women to have the right to vote, and gay rights movement as proof.
Later discussing the protests, he admitted that what the group was doing was "awful" and "unacceptable" but they "have to do it".
Read more: 'You'll hate me' teary activist tells motorists as eco zealots grind M25 to a halt
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"Non-violent civil resistance works - there's a long history of non-violent civil resistance working.
"Just outside the House of Parliament there's a statue of the Suffragettes - they engaged in non-violent civil resistance theres more than just the Suffragettes theres a long history of it.
"Look at the gay rights movement in the 1960s.
"There's lots of cases of non-violent civil resistance working...ok, we might fail, it is possible we might fail, but as Antonio Guterres said: 'We’re on the road to climate hell.'
"So that’s why we’re taking this action."
Just Stop Oil protest on M25 for second straight day
On Tuesday morning, Just Stop Oil climbed overhead gantries in at least seven locations on the M25, bringing the motorway to a grinding half for the second day running.
The motorway was closed between junctions 8-9, 10-11, 14-16, 20-21 at the M1 junction, and at junctions 26-27, although the protesters were removed from J8, 11 and 12 just before 10.30am.
A total of 16 people were arrested.
Protester Jane, 56, who is visually impaired and afraid of heights, said she was taking part because "we are on the blink of climate catastrophe".
"I'm terrified," she said in a teary video recorded on top of a gantry between junctions 10 and 11.
"So why am I doing this?
"I'm doing this because I'm more terrified if we don't stop new oil and gas.
"We are on the brink of climate catastrophe... and I can't stand by and let it happen."
Addressing the Prime Minister directly, she went on: "We will stop the disruption, Mr Sunak, when you say you are going to stop new oil and gas licences."
