Just Stop Oil (JSO) supporters have been met by angry members of the public as the group launched one of its biggest protests.
Some 160 activists marched in 16 groups across London, according to JSO, which said some were shoved and knocked to the ground, including a visually impaired woman and a young student.
A video posted on Twitter shows members of the public pushing activists, wearing orange high visibility vests and carrying placards, off the road.
JSO said activists were marching in locations including Hammersmith, Redbridge, King’s Cross, Victoria, Whitechapel, Farringdon and Earl’s Court, on Friday morning, demanding an end to all new oil and gas.
The Metropolitan Police said officers responded to reports of protesters walking slowly in the road at various locations, with roads cleared and four arrests made for breach of conditions.
JSO said that one of those arrested in Parliament Square was Matt Black, the founder of Ninja Tune Records.
He said in a statement on the group’s website: “I’ve been arrested today whilst standing against our government’s unbelievably corrupt and idiotic mishandling of the climate emergency.
“Just Stop Oil is ringing the fire alarm because oil and gas are burning down our home. Every day on the news, more extreme heat, floods are raging, and people are suffering and dying. And this is coming to the UK, trust me.”
JSO said the Animal Rising group was also slow-marching from Smithfield meat market, while its LGBTQ+ supporters were marching through Westminster.
One of the activists, scientist Tom Williams, from Cambridge, said in a statement: “Climate collapse is here, now, you just have to look at the front page of the news.
“That means every fraction of a degree of warming matters, every tonne of carbon is more deaths and lives ruined.”
Earlier this week, JSO activists filmed themselves spraying orange paint onto a government department building, while a protester was kicked and punched to the ground during one of the slow-marching events.
