Posted by Motorists fight back with dye and bagpipes after eco mob block A40 in west London and roundabout in Dartford
Ink-ulate Britain: Drivers take revenge as climate protesters block roads into London
Drivers caught in Insulate Britain protests have started taking matters into their own hands as activists claimed to have been sprayed with ink.
The eco mob blocked two sections of major roads into London after warning its “non-violent civil resistance” would continue on Wednesday.
However, some motorists’ patience finally wore out, as one man knelt in the road to play bagpipes loudly to an activist’s face.
Other protesters appeared to have been sprayed in the face with ink or dye as they sat on the road.
Campaigners from the Extinction Rebellion splinter group disrupted the slip road at junction 1a of the UK’s busiest motorway as well as the A40 in west London, with many gluing themselves to the surface.
Others were arrested before they managed to block a roundabout close to the Dartford Crossing in Kent.
Footage from the campaign group showed a man at one of the sites approaching protesters who were sitting on the road and squirting a dark coloured substance on their faces, saying “It’s ink”, before walking away.
Kent Police said officers arrested 32 protesters, including four who were suspected of planning the disruption, while the Metropolitan Police said 17 demonstrators were detained at the A40 junction with Gypsy Lane in North Acton.
The Insulate Britain protests, in pictures
One member said she was prepared to lose her home and go to jail for the cause.
Suzie, 47, from Cambridge, who works in childcare, said: “If going to prison and losing my home is what it takes to get the Government to do the right thing and cut our carbon emissions, then it’s a price worth paying.
“I can’t be a bystander while this Government betrays the public, our children and future generations by failing to defend our country from the climate crisis.
“Insulating Britain’s leaky homes has to come first. It will cut out a huge chunk of our carbon emissions, help families struggling with their energy bills and end fuel poverty.
“It’s such a basic first step that you have to wonder why the Government refuses to act. Don’t they care?”
The latest action comes despite four court injunctions taken out in response to Insulate Britain protests.
Most recently, the Government-owned National Highways secured a ban on activities which obstruct traffic on its 4,300-mile network of motorways and major A-roads in England.
This came in the wake of a super injunction granted to National Highways on Monday, which prohibits people from Insulate Britain from interfering with traffic on any part of the strategic road network in England.
Videos from the protests showed police having to separate angry motorists attempting to remonstrate with protesters.
One man could be heard saying: “We’re trying to earn a living here and some people are trying to get their kids to school! Move!”
Arrests made in Hilton hotel car park before protesters block road
Six Insulate Britain protesters attended the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel near the Dartford Crossing in an attempt to block a nearby roundabout on Wednesday.
All six have now been arrested and are being taken away by Kent Police.
Protesters included Amy Pritchard and Tony Hill, who both attended demonstrations in Bishopsgate in the City of London on Monday.
Ms Pritchard said: “The plan is we are being searched and are about to be arrested. We were going to go on to the roundabout to obstruct it. We’ve been prevented from entering the roundabout.
“The police have not been charging us with anything or interviewing us. There’s been a political decision not to deal with us and we don’t want to be blocking roads, so it is fine. And we will continue until our demands are met and we are prevented from doing this.
“The decarbonisation at the speed and scale that is necessary is more important than the legal consequences for us all individually.”
She said she has been arrested 11 times since September 13.