Just Stop Oil supporters are marching in London today to show support for students campaigning in Kampala against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline in Uganda. This is the tenth week of slow marching on the streets of central London to demand that the UK Government halts all licences and consents for new oil, gas, and coal projects. [1]

At around 11.15 am, 34 Just Stop Oil supporters began marching on London Bridge. As one of the groups most at risk to the detrimental effects of climate breakdown, this week, students will be marching every day to demand an end to new oil, gas and coal. The march was stopped by police at around 11:30 am as it reached the middle of the bridge.

Today’s march is in solidarity with Students Against EACOP, a group of Ugandan students in resistance against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. This morning a group of brave students marched to the Ugandan parliament in Kampala to demand that lawmakers take a clear position against the EACOP pipeline. Bagiire Sharif, a student from Kyambogo University has been arrested and remains in detention. Those speaking out against the pipeline in Uganda risk police brutality and imprisonment. There have also been incidents of forced disappearances and kidnappings recorded.

A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
“We are calling on the Ugandan authorities to immediately release Bagiire Sharif. The international community is paying close attention to the treatment of these peaceful protestors. The illegal detention of Bagiire Sharif is a human rights violation that underlines the authoritarian pact between EACOP Ltd and the Ugandan Government.”

One of those on the road in London today, Kostja Solveig Junglas, 27, a PhD student in archaeological sciences from Oxford, said:
“As an archaeologist, I am aware that no society has ever faced environmental change at the scale we are experiencing now and will experience even more so in the future. In the past, far smaller-scale changes in the environment than we are currently experiencing have caused immense suffering.”

“If we were to take lessons from the past seriously, we would realise that we have to take immediate action to minimise the global suffering that is already happening on a massive scale.”

Another taking action with Just Stop Oil today is George Simonson, 22, an engineering graduate from London. He said:
“This government is fucking us over. Continued oil and gas extraction will be a death sentence for millions across the globe. I’m terrified about what life will be like when I get older. I used to be excited about growing old, having a family and settling down. But I don’t think about that future anymore. 

“If this government doesn’t stop new oil and gas, I’ll grow up into a society filled with social unrest, food and water shortages, war and conflict. Students from around the country and around the world are tired of governments screwing them over. The cost of living crisis, the climate crisis, it’s all connected by corporate greed and corrupt politicians. Young people have had enough, that’s why we’re taking matters into our own hands.” 

Yesterday, weather forecasters said that Britain is expecting a further five heatwaves, with two stints of unusually hot temperatures in early and late July, two more at the start of August and another in September. They refused to rule out the possibility that another stint of 40-plus temperatures could blast the UK within weeks. Last year, the extreme conditions resulted in thousands of excess deaths, with the London ambulance and fire services on black-alert. 60 families lost their homes as wildfires destroyed more than 90 buildings. 

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: 
“We got 40C last year and before that happened, no-one thought there was an outside chance.” Adding that “there’s a possibility we do continue to see those trends.”

Just Stop Oil supporters have completed up to seven marches a day, six days a week since the 24th April. Over 600 ordinary people from all over the UK have taken part. Including arrests at the Coronation and cultural and sporting events there have been around 190 arrests this year and 50 people have been charged with various offences including failure to comply with Public Order Act (section 12) conditions. 27 people were arrested this morning at Canary Wharf.

Since the Just Stop Oil campaign launched on 14th February 2022, there have been 2,200 arrests and 138 people have spent time in prison, many without trial. Just Stop Oil supporters Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker are serving three year prison sentences for resisting new oil, gas and coal.