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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Woman driving at protesters

312 replies

ivykaty44 · 17/10/2021 15:43

The woman driving at protestors this week in the news, in a range rover that it turns out, isn’t taxed, hasn’t got a valid MOT & therefore insurance

Should have it impounded as she’s driving it illegally to take her son to school AIBU to think you can’t driving round illegally and then shout at protestors blocking the road - regardless of the rights or wrongs of the protestors or how annoying she may find them

OP posts:
KingdomScrolls · 18/10/2021 08:30

Why is everyone going on about the highway code? The criminal law trumps it every time and driving your vehicle deliberately at someone with either incurrent or disregard for their harm regardless of circumstances or whether they are loitering, is either reckless or dangerous driving. If she killed one of them it would be death by dangerous driving.

I think they are fucking idiots and those saying you don't have to drive, I'm sure should you require assistance from police, ambulance or fire brigade you don't want them on a bicycle. There are reasons people need to drive.

RobinPenguins · 18/10/2021 08:32

The protestors are dicks. She seemed like a dick as well.

Glitterybug · 18/10/2021 08:36

She physically hits 2 of them. I doubt she is a professional stunt driver, she could easily be facing a GBH if not manslaughter or murder charge.

Why, who did she kill? At most it will be ABH and dangerous driving. But she's a twat because she's done it on camera - when the inevitable personal injury claims come in from those two eco terrorists she may find that her insurance won't cover a deliberate act.

I don't condone what she did, her son must have been terrified and it's pretty sad to see him hanging out of the car shouting at the eco terrorists too. It is only a matter of time before one of them gets badly injured or killed.

BelleOfTheProvince · 18/10/2021 08:41

I'm pretty sure both BLM and groups like sisters uncut don't enjoy unanimous support. BLM got a lot of people's backs up for toppling statues and let's face it, that doesn't really harm anyone in the way that lying on the motorway does.

I don't think anyone actually disagrees with their cause. Climate change deniers are few and far between. People disagree with their methods because they impact the most vulnerable.

And their methods are dangerous. Eventually someone will kill one of them. Whether by accident or not. How horrible for the person involved if it's by accident, to have to live with that.

This is a very good example of two wrongs don't make a right. They're wrong. She's wrong. But seeing as they caused the issue and have hurt people, people have less sympathy for them,

ReeseWitherfork · 18/10/2021 08:42

It is only a matter of time before one of them gets badly injured or killed.

I googled before OP shared the link and there were three other instances where drivers had driven into them. Not to mention the countless articles about them being dragged off the road. I think someone is going to get seriously injured soon.

Reminds me of the thread recently where the OP suggested vigilante justice against male violence. I feel like this is what we are seeing (the vigilante justice bit). Not sure what the circumstances were here but the police clearly need to be quicker in removing them.

Carboncheque · 18/10/2021 10:15

Can you imagine what would have happened if BLM protesters had blocked motorways? They would have been hauled away by the police within the hour.

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 18/10/2021 10:18

@RobinPenguins

The protestors are dicks. She seemed like a dick as well.
Agreed
HoardingSamphireSaurus · 18/10/2021 10:23

@LoisWooookersonsLastNerve

What I don't understand is why they can't let some people through? Surely they can protest without holding up people with medical emegancies etc. I'm sure there were similar protests in the past but it was targeted at commercial vehicles. Not that I agree with either.
One of them, a retir4ed doctor/consultant explained that in a few interviews:

The single person in the ambulance has been weighed against the destruction of the planet. Saving the lanet saves more people.

He also went on to say that he personally had written letters, been to various places, spoken to various people and nothing had changed. He repeated that he personally had done absolutely everything and still nothing had changed.

God complex...

... a few of the others interviewed over the past few weeks have seemed similarly self centred, solipsistic.

Glitterybug · 18/10/2021 10:52

I don't think anyone actually disagrees with their cause. Climate change deniers are few and far between. People disagree with their methods because they impact the most vulnerable.

I disagree with their cause and I'm not a climate change denier. I don't think the government should have any obligation to retroactively fit insulation to privately owned dwellings. I think there's about a million other climate causes that would be a better use of time and money than insulating houses of private citizens.

LoisWooookersonsLastNerve · 18/10/2021 10:53

@HoardingSamphireSaurus Wow that's astounding. God complex indeed.

Kb2942 · 18/10/2021 10:55

It doesn't make what the protestors are doing okay though...

DumplingsAndStew · 18/10/2021 11:14

He also went on to say that hepersonallyhad written letters, been to various places, spoken to various people and nothing had changed. He repeated that he personally had doneabsolutely everythingand still nothing had changed.

Wow, man spoke and nobody did what he demanded? Surely not.

Laiste · 18/10/2021 11:36

Sadly the woman in the car has given them exactly what they bloody want hasn't she?

Now we've all seen the ''poor little IB martyr'' being ''run over'' by the big nasty car when all she wants to do is Save The Planet.

Hmm

Selfish stupid fucking idiots.

HoardingSamphireSaurus · 18/10/2021 13:29

[quote LoisWooookersonsLastNerve]@HoardingSamphireSaurus Wow that's astounding. God complex indeed.[/quote]
I know! I was in the car on Friday, lunchtime ish, listening to Radio2 and actually made sure I played it back when I got home because it sounded so odd! I haven't heard such bombastic certainty in decades.

Astounding! And I live near enough to Stroud to have met many of the wealthy lifestyle protestors!!

Marguerite2000 · 18/10/2021 13:56

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Lockheart · 18/10/2021 14:01

I'd like to echo a previous poster - when an MP was stabbed to death just a few days ago, could we have the basic decency not to wish violence on people with such glee?

Bloodybridget · 18/10/2021 14:22

Obviously she shouldn't have driven forward - but I did smile seeing the protesters being pushed along the road. Agree the police need to get them off roads as fast as they can, and IB people who have already been arrested need to be actually prevented from doing the same thing again.

The right to protest should not include the right to block roads or prevent others from going about their lawful business.

RainbowCrossing · 18/10/2021 14:40

The single person in the ambulance has been weighed against the destruction of the planet. Saving the planet saves more people.

So fucking stupid though. 'If we moved for one ambulance/woman having a stroke then all the impact of our protest would be nought'. How stupid do you have to be to think like that? Just let the bloody ambulance through then sit back down you dicks! It's not either/or!

Aqua55 · 18/10/2021 15:07

@Carboncheque

Can you imagine what would have happened if BLM protesters had blocked motorways? They would have been hauled away by the police within the hour.
Or given a police escort.

www.itv.com/news/central/2020-06-07/black-lives-matter-protest-closes-m6-motorway

HoardingSamphireSaurus · 18/10/2021 15:23

I think many people prefer to think that BLM protests were much maligned and unsupported by all, including the police.

Round here, rural backwater, we had a few BLM protests and the police werre highly visible, polite and, at one point, protective of the marchers against a small gang or local troublemakers - the kind for whom anything is an excuse for a fight!

Carboncheque · 18/10/2021 15:26

From that article, they caused delays to one section of one motorway for ‘over an hour.’ A far cry from what’s happening now.

Aqua55 · 18/10/2021 15:38

@Carboncheque

From that article, they caused delays to one section of one motorway for ‘over an hour.’ A far cry from what’s happening now.
HmmBiscuit
daimbarsatemydogsbone · 18/10/2021 19:18

What does the Highway Code say about environmental protestors with single use plastic banners who have glued themselves to the road?

toconclude · 18/10/2021 20:37

@BelleOfTheProvince

Everyone else is thinking it. Just because they are not trying to run over idiots doesn't mean they approve.
If you mean everyone else is thinking they approve of running over protesters, then no. Frankly: if you do think that, you need therapy.
BelleOfTheProvince · 18/10/2021 20:49

Everyone is thinking it's selfish and pointless and that if they get runover it's because of their own actions. As I said previously, Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

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