Furious passer-by throws female eco-activist to the ground as Met urges public not to intervene with protesters

19 May 2023, 14:01 | Updated: 19 May 2023, 17:51

A frustrated man threw a Just Stop Oil protester onto the ground as the group protested by walking slowly down a central London street on Friday.

A video posted to social media shows the man approaching the protesters as they walked down Mansell Street near the Tower of London.

He then snatches the banners out of the protesters' hands, before shoving the woman on to the ground.

The angry passer-by appeared to snatch a phone from one of the campaigners and throw it away, as he tries to push the other demonstrators out of the way of traffic.

Meanwhile, the woman picks herself up and goes to sit on the pavement.

In response, the Metropolitan Police warned the public not to intervene in the activist's demonstrations.

Warning: the below video contains swearing

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Commenting on the incident, a spokesperson from Just Stop Oil said they understood how "frustrating" it can be to be disrupted.

"We understand how frustrating it can be to be disrupted, however, as of this morning 13 people are dead and 13,000 people have had to be evacuated from their homes in Italy, due to six months worth of rain falling in a day and a half," the spokesperson said.

"A quarter of a million people are currently homeless in Somalia due to extreme flooding, despite the country experiencing its worst drought in 40 years.

"The disruption we are seeing on British streets is nothing compared to the disruption wrought if we do not stop licensing new oil, gas and coal."

A Metropolitan Police said: "The Met and City of London Police are aware of an incident in which a member of the public appears to have remonstrated with Just Stop Oil protesters this morning, 19 May, in the City of London, before the arrival of police.

"At this stage, we are not aware that any allegations have been made in regard to this matter. We completely understand the frustration and anger of London's communities when protesters walk slowly in the roads.

"We urge people not to intervene and to wait for the arrival of police, who will attend the scene promptly."

Just Stop Oil demands an end to all new fossil fuel projects.

The group has been holding a string of "slow march" protests in recent weeks, as Met Police say they have used 3,900 officer shifts to deal with the public disruptions.

Read more: Just Stop Oil thrown out of Parliament for trying to disrupt inquiry into Coronation policing

Read more: Just Stop Oil activist compares group's actions to the Suffragettes as they carry out another go slow protest in London

Activists are also conducting slow marches in Parliament Square every Saturday, vowing to continue "until we win".

On Wednesday Just Stop Oil protesters were thrown out of a Commons inquiry in Parliament looking into how protests were policed during King Charles's Coronation.

A small group of activists were removed from a Home Affairs Select Committee's meeting on Wednesday as they disrupted the hearing.

Five had been arrested on the day of the Coronation, their group said.

Dr Kush Baker, 33, one of the activists who was removed, began to read a prepared statement which read: "We, as supporters of Just Stop Oil, are here today because our democracy is under threat" – at which point he was removed.