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Why are the police not arresting the protesters blocking roads?

119 replies

DietCokeChipsAndMayo · 04/10/2021 16:31

I don’t understand why they’re just standing there while they’re blocking the roads
I’ve seen a video today of the police dragging them to the pavement but by the time the police have walked back on to the road to get another person the first one has just walked and sat back down
Why are they not throwing them into the back of a van?!
I genuinely don’t understand

OP posts:
JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 04/10/2021 18:29

@WildFlowerBees

I really really wish people would inform themselves better with what the police are actually able to do. The ignorance is astounding.
@WildFlowerBees how do we find it out?

Also, you could say that about loads of issues that are talked and discussed about on MN.
We all can't know everything about everything.
So nothing wrong with a discussion and if you know things, then why not inform us rather than patronise us?

MarshaBradyo · 04/10/2021 18:30

Jason too true

trappedsincesundaymorn · 04/10/2021 18:33

@Orangejuicemarathoner

I think they are incredibly brave, and making a massive sacrifice. They are risking their health, their lives ,their livelihoods, and their freedom to protect the planet
They're risking other people's health, lives and livelihoods as well which makes them beneath contempt IMO.
FindingMeno · 04/10/2021 18:33

@WildFlowerBees, please inform us where the police powers do or don't lie.

WhoWearsShortShorts · 04/10/2021 18:34

@jlpartnerrs

They aren't affecting my life because I don't drive. I gave up my car two years ago WRT global warming. I commute by bike and public transport.

I would still support them even if I did drive. You're angry at the wrong people. The government are supposed to protect us and plan for the future. By subsidising fossil fuels and failure to implement substantial policies they are going to be responsible for killing our children/grandchildren indirectly by their inaction.

So it's OK to contribute to the possible deaths of people in ambulances - better to kill people now by delaying emergency medical care?
WaltzingTilda · 04/10/2021 18:36

Why aren't they at bloody work? They are certainly not at home looking after children and if they are healthy enough to sit across roads and protest surely they should be at work?

jlpartnerrs · 04/10/2021 18:37

Here's a thing

The City of London is the ninth largest emitter of CO2 in the world, according to new analysis by Greenpeace and WWF

The City’s banks and asset managers provided loans and investments for projects and companies that emitted 805 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019 – almost twice the annual net emissions of the UK

The IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.) issued a stark warning earlier this year :-

A century of change, everywhere

The IPCC experts project that in the coming decades climate changes will increase in all regions. For 1.5°C of global warming, there will be increasing heat waves, longer warm seasons and shorter cold seasons.

At 2°C of global warming, heat extremes are more likely to reach critical tolerance thresholds for agriculture and health

But it won’t be just about temperature. For example, climate change is intensifying the natural production of water – the water cycle. This brings more intense rainfall and associated flooding, as well as more intense drought in many regions.

It is also affecting rainfall patterns. In high latitudes, precipitation is likely to increase, while it is projected to decrease over large parts of the subtropics. Changes to monsoon rain patterns are expected, which will vary by region, the report warns.

Moreover, coastal areas will see continued sea level rise throughout the 21st century, contributing to more frequent and severe coastal flooding in low-lying areas and coastal erosion.

Extreme sea level events that previously occurred once in 100 years could happen every year by the end of this century

The report also indicates that further warming will amplify permafrost thawing, and the loss of seasonal snow cover, melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and loss of summer Arctic sea ice.

Changes to the ocean, including warming, more frequent marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, and reduced oxygen levels, affect both ocean ecosystems and the people that rely on them, and they will continue throughout at least the rest of this century.

Magnified in cities
Experts warn that for cities, some aspects of climate change may be magnified, including heat, flooding from heavy precipitation events and sea level rise in coastal cities.

Furthermore, IPCC scientists caution that low-likelihood outcomes, such as ice sheet collapse or abrupt ocean circulation changes, cannot be ruled out.

Limiting climate change
“Stabilizing the climate will require strong, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and reaching net zero CO2 emissions. Limiting other greenhouse gases and air pollutants, especially methane, could have benefits both for health and the climate,” highlights IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair Panmao Zhai.

The report explains that from a physical science perspective, limiting human-induced global warming to a specific level requires limiting cumulative carbon dioxide emissions, reaching at least net zero CO2 emissions, along with strong reductions in other greenhouse gas emissions.

From Here: news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097362

Tealightsandd · 04/10/2021 18:38

They're risking other people's health, lives and livelihoods as well which makes them beneath contempt IMO.

This.

Why are they attacking people instead of taking positive constructive action? Like DIY or crowdfunding to insulate people's homes?

Persephonegoddess · 04/10/2021 18:39

Nope they are idiots, go and protest in country that is actually causing a far higher % of climate change, don't waste our tax paid for resources and kill people by blocking roads for because you can't be bothered to travel to the countries where the impact of change would be greater.
If you glue yourself to a road, why should the nhs have to pay to treat your burns??
I have control over my actions as does everyone else and will not cause harm to other people to further a cause. Peaceful protest yes, criminal damage and blocking ambulances who gives you the right??

jlpartnerrs · 04/10/2021 18:42

@trappedsincesundaymorn

"They're risking other people's health, lives and livelihoods as well which makes them beneath contempt IMO."

That ^^ is exactly what our government are doing when they continue to endorse Fossil Fuel investments and subsidies and refuse to tackle the climate crisis.

One person affected by this is one person too many. Write to your MP, ask them why they are ignoring this grave, urgent and existential threat to all of us?

WaltzingTilda · 04/10/2021 18:43

They need to pass a law to enable them to be banged up for at least 3 months to even a year for obstructing highways like that. Every single one of them - handcuff them and then throw in prison.

PlanDeRaccordement · 04/10/2021 18:43

@Orangejuicemarathoner

and given the number of deaths on the roads, there is a good chance that the protests have saved more deaths and injuries than they have caused
Mon Dieu. That is rather like taking over a hospital, emptying it of patients and then trying to claim you’ve “saved lives” because no one died in the hospital the day it was empty.
FindingMeno · 04/10/2021 18:46

I suspect that following the XR underground train action and the public anger towards that, far from influencing the politicians, the politicians are standing back and giving them enough rope to hang themselves.
I've no doubt the protestors are determined and believe they need to do this to make an urgent change. The usual cries that they are unwashed layabouts are a bit of a lazy retort.
Unfortunately this is setting back environmental activism imo. They are causing too much anger in an already frustrated public, and will turn a lot of people against entertaining any discussion wrt to saving the planet.
We do need urgent action. We do need to protest and make change happen.
But this is an own goal.

Fluffymule · 04/10/2021 18:47

This will end in violence, like it did at Canning when angry commuters snapped and beat up that Extinction Rebellion activist that was standing on the tube train to stop the service.

Simonjt · 04/10/2021 18:49

@jlpartnerrs So you would happily be paralysed to support the cause?

escapeyou · 04/10/2021 18:51

Liam Norton has just been on the news. He’s a complete arsehole and not fighting for the cause. He’s just up for fighting. These people are disgraceful.

PlanDeRaccordement · 04/10/2021 18:51

The City’s banks and asset managers provided loans and investments for projects and companies that emitted 805 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019 – almost twice the annual net emissions of the UK

I wonder how much of the loan/investment money is going to making those companies meet carbon zero goals? You can’t go green without investment. For example, the largest cargo ship company in the world Maersk emits tons of CO2 because cargo ships are dirty big polluters. But they’ve just secured £1.3bn in investment to convert their entire fleet to carbon neutral ships. And I know for a fact that some of this investment came from London based firms like ZigZag and They’re building the first carbon zero cargo ship for 2023.

Analyses rarely dig into the details. Investment into these companies is not a bad thing if it’s for the right reasons.

TheQueef · 04/10/2021 18:52

@jlpartnerrs how about you write to your MP instead of blathering on?
You are deliberately avoiding answering the q of how this is helping any cause in any way.

BillyBearSpam · 04/10/2021 18:56

@LikeACatInTheDark

From the guardian article:

Frustration at the road blocks led to confrontations with drivers. In a video shared by LBC one woman cried as she pleaded with protesters, telling them she needed to get to her sick mother.

“She’s in the ambulance, she’s going to the hospital in Canterbury, do you think I’m stupid?” she says. “I need to go to the hospital, please let me pass. This isn’t OK ... How can you be so selfish?”

At Wandsworth Bridge, people dragged protesters out of the road. In a video shared by TalkRadio one man is heard saying: “There’s an ambulance, you stupid prick, get out of the road,” as others drag activists away.

Responding to the video, Insulate Britain released a statement saying: “We share the frustration of the people being delayed on the roads today. Does our government know what to do? The disorder on the roads today suggests otherwise.

“The Insulate Britain protests could end immediately, the government has a choice: make a meaningful statement that we can trust on insulating our homes, or make the decision to imprison those people who are more scared of the destruction of their country than they are of fines or a six-month sentence.”

Angry

I saw the video for this, it was heartbreaking. I really hope the woman managed to get through.
Upsielazy · 04/10/2021 18:57

It's not putting pressure on the policy makers though is it, it's disrupting normal people trying to get to work, trying to get to relatives in hospital, ambulances taking people to hospital. They aren't getting anyone on side, and the fact that the police just let them carry on despite the fact that blocking a public highway is reason to move them on, protest aside even is fucking ridiculous.

anon12345678901 · 04/10/2021 18:57

@PlanDeRaccordement

The City’s banks and asset managers provided loans and investments for projects and companies that emitted 805 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019 – almost twice the annual net emissions of the UK

I wonder how much of the loan/investment money is going to making those companies meet carbon zero goals? You can’t go green without investment. For example, the largest cargo ship company in the world Maersk emits tons of CO2 because cargo ships are dirty big polluters. But they’ve just secured £1.3bn in investment to convert their entire fleet to carbon neutral ships. And I know for a fact that some of this investment came from London based firms like ZigZag and They’re building the first carbon zero cargo ship for 2023.

Analyses rarely dig into the details. Investment into these companies is not a bad thing if it’s for the right reasons.

This. To change things takes time and money, the companies are working on it and continuing to liaise with the government and relative bodies.
jlpartnerrs · 04/10/2021 18:58

@PlanDeRaccordement

The City’s banks and asset managers provided loans and investments for projects and companies that emitted 805 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019 – almost twice the annual net emissions of the UK

I wonder how much of the loan/investment money is going to making those companies meet carbon zero goals? You can’t go green without investment. For example, the largest cargo ship company in the world Maersk emits tons of CO2 because cargo ships are dirty big polluters. But they’ve just secured £1.3bn in investment to convert their entire fleet to carbon neutral ships. And I know for a fact that some of this investment came from London based firms like ZigZag and They’re building the first carbon zero cargo ship for 2023.

Analyses rarely dig into the details. Investment into these companies is not a bad thing if it’s for the right reasons.

That's a good point, well made. It's proper discussions around what exactly we are doing and how that we need to have.

I suspect (and could probably find out) that the majority of investment isn't in going to carbon neutral emissions/operations.

For the last few years (and the parliamentary watchdog agrees) we (UK) haven't been working towards meeting the Paris agreement targets and we actually need stricter ones, according to the IPCC report

Insulating our housing stock is a win/win - lots of green investment - jobs and reskilling people and the chance to lift people out of fuel poverty.

We should all support their aims, it's a bit of a no-brainer.

Andante57 · 04/10/2021 19:02

They will have insulated their own homes I would imagine, they are talking about the whole nation

Iannistunut One of them, Liam Norton, admitted to Richard Madeley that his house wasn’t insulated and then walked off the show rather than have further hypocrisy exposed.
So, no, they haven’t all insulated their homes.

jlpartnerrs · 04/10/2021 19:04

[quote TheQueef]@jlpartnerrs how about you write to your MP instead of blathering on?
You are deliberately avoiding answering the q of how this is helping any cause in any way.[/quote]
I'm in support of their aims, as I've said earlier.

Yes - I have written / talked to my MP

I've moved house, for a greener life. I've started the process of making our house (a terrace) carbon neutral. We ditched the car two years ago. So what? None of this is any good if it's left to individuals - we need governments and laws and legislation to tackle this, it's too big for personal action.

Media and our government are complicit in lying to us by omission. They know how bad it is and they have their collective heads in the sand

All that panic over petrol??? What are you going to do when the food runs out? Read the UN report I linked to, educate yourselves and then let's talk.

news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097362

ButYouGottaHaveASkillJeff · 04/10/2021 19:11

I support the aims. Don't support these imbeciles and their methods to get there. Absolute twats. Lacking somewhat in intellect if they think this will help anything. Quite the opposite.