Furious motorist 'drives into Just Stop Oil eco-zealots' as he vents anger at protest

A furious motorist appears to have driven slowly into protesters as hundreds marched through central for the group's "last day of action". A mass of people wearing orange vests rallied in the capital on Saturday afternoon (April 26).

Video appears to show a man driving a white minivan towards protesters from the eco-group. People standing in front of the vehicle, some holding a JSO banner, hold their hands up, with one yelling, "Officer, I'm being pushed back". The minivan appears to edge forwards until the bonnet presses against them. The driver then exits the vehicle and can be heard shouting, "What are you doing blocking the whole road up?".

The footage appears to capture the moment officers tell the man the disruption is only temporary and people have a right to protest. He then says to police officers "what about my right to get home?" as a mass of people gather round.

Just Stop Oil (JSO) last month and claimed it had won its demand to end new oil and gas projects.

At Saturday's rally Keir Lane, 59, from Northamptonshire, said: "You learn the ropes, you learn your business, and you have to identify your strengths and your weaknesses and make changes in what you do. This is why JSO are hanging up the hi-vis vest.

"Effectively what we're saying is we are stopping one model of operating which is the disruptive action that we're known for, and that will then morph into other things...What happens with the Just Stop Oil name, again, I don't think that that's decided."

Asked if that action had become a weakness, he said: "No, but you can't carry on doing the same thing time and time again."

People appeared to occasionally block roads around Trafalgar Square during the planned walk from St James' Park to Waterloo.

Scotland Yard said about 300 people attended the protest, which the force said had ended in Parliament Square opposite the Palace of Westminster.

Eco-zealots from JSO have drawn criticism and jail terms for protests ranging from to and climbing on gantries over the M25.

In its statement in March announcing the end of direct action, it said: "Just Stop Oil's initial demand to end new oil and gas is now Government policy, making us one of the most successful civil resistance campaigns in recent history.

"We've kept over 4.4 billion barrels of oil in the ground and the courts have ruled new oil and gas licences unlawful."

The Labour Government has said it won't issue licences for new oil and gas exploration, while a series of recent court cases have halted fossil fuel projects including oil drilling in Surrey, a coal mine in Cumbria and the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea over climate pollution.

But Labour has distanced itself from Just Stop Oil, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer criticising its actions and saying protesters must face the full force of the law.

A spokesman from the Metropolitan Police said no arrests were made at Saturday's protest.