Just Stop Oil protesters disrupt London Pride over ‘polluting’ sponsors

Just Stop Oil protesters have disrupted London’s Pride march in protest over the event accepting sponsorship money from “high-polluting industries”.

A number of protesters were arrested after blocking the road in front of a Coca-Cola truck.

The Metropolitan police said protesters sat in the middle of the road on Piccadilly at 1.30pm, causing the parade to stop.

After 16 minutes, police arrested seven protesters for public nuisance offences and the parade continued again one minute later.

Video posted online showed officers picking up protesters and carrying them away.

Just Stop Oil has previously warned it would take action as it called on organisers of the major event to ban floats from “high-polluting” sponsors and to condemn new oil, gas and coal.

In a statement, LGBTQ+ members of the group said: “These partnerships embarrass the LGBTQ+ community at a time when much of the cultural world is rejecting ties to these toxic industries.”

LGBTQ+ people were “suffering first” in the “accelerating social breakdown” caused by the climate crisis, they added.

“Pride was born from protest,” the statement continued.

“It speaks to how far we’ve come as a community that high-polluting industries and the banks that fund them now see Pride as a useful vehicle for sanitising their reputations, waving rainbow flags in one hand whilst accelerating social collapse with the other.”

Just Stop Oil said earlier on Saturday: “If London Pride fails to take these basic steps necessary to protect our community, we will have to consider potential escalations which may result in the disruption of Pride.

“We will also call for the entire LGBTQ+ community to join us in protest and boycott – for the safety of LGBTQ+ people everywhere.”

The protest came after the London mayor described Just Stop Oil as a “really important pressure group” despite the activists’ threats to disrupt Pride in the capital.

Speaking before the parade on Saturday morning, Sadiq Khan said:
“I agree with protesting in a way that is lawful, safe, and peaceful. I think that Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil are really important pressure groups trying to put power on those who have power and influence.

“I fully support the right to protest. It’s really important to recognise the joy of a democracy is protest.

“I am somebody who feels quite passionately that we have to tackle the climate emergency. And I feel quite passionately about encouraging people to join the movement to tackle the climate emergency. In my view, protest should be peaceful, lawful, and safe.”

cover photo:Stop Oil protesters stopped the Pride London parade by spraying the road and sitting in front of a Coca-Cola float. Photograph: Avpics/Alamy Live News/Alamy Live News.