Who are the people protesters on top of the bridge?
There is a teacher and an engineer on top of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.
Morgan Trowland, 39, a bridge design engineer from London, said: “As a professional civil engineer, each year as I renew my registration, I commit to acting within our code of ethics, which requires me to safeguard human life and welfare and the environment.
“Our government has enacted suicidal laws to accelerate oil production: killing human life and destroying our environment.
“I can’t challenge this madness in my desk job, designing bridges, so I’m taking direct action, occupying the QE2 bridge until the government stops all new oil.”
A 33-year-old London teacher called Marcus, who didn’t give his surname, said: “Too many people in this country simply don’t know the scale and intensity of climate breakdown as the scientists describe it.
“The authorities are criminally failing to get this grim science communicated. During Covid the science was conveyed on a daily basis. Why isn’t the most existential threat that humanity has ever faced on the news every day?
“Our political system is betraying the people of this country. More fossil fuel licenses means global genocide. Only direct action will now help to reach the social tipping point we so urgently need.”
Police condemn ‘selfish’ protesters
Here is the statement from Essex Police:
Our officers are continuing to work to resolve the issue on the Dartford Crossing after two people climbed up onto high cables early this morning.
The QEII bridge is closed to allow us to resolve the situation as safely as possible and a diversion is in place through the tunnel.
This is a complex operation due to the height at which the protestors are currently situated and it may take some but we are working as quickly as possible.
We want to be clear – our priority is to keep people safe and keep Essex moving.
We will take action against anyone who puts life in danger or things they can selfishly stop others getting to work or getting on with their lives.
We appreciate your patience and understanding and will keep you updated through the day.
Protesters throw soup over business department building
The Just Stop Oil protesters have also glued themselves to a government building in Westmintser.
Activists glued themselves to a wall outside the business department and threw soup over the building’s sign.
Demonstrators also blocked Victoria Street.
Sir Mark Rowley: Protests are ‘damn frustrating’
The Met Police Commissioner said the law is “annoyingly complicated” when it comes to police officers having the powers to be able to whip protesters away before disruption begins.
Sir Mark Rowley told LBC: “I think over the last few days, we’ve been much more rapid.
“We’ve done it in sort of 30-40 minutes, which is I think a reasonable turnaround.
“We we have to sort of wait till it gets to a certain state to intervene which frustrates me.”
Presenter Nick Ferrari put it to the Commissioner that had this happened on the morning of the Queen’s funeral, the Met’s officers would’ve intervened much sooner.
He responded: “It’s the scale of the disruption. That’s what that’s what we have to judge and assess is the scale of the disruption.
“And we’re influenced by the local council we’re influenced by TfL and how much they assess the disruption at London.
“The law is annoyingly complicated. I have been spending 200 officer days every day on this, who should be out in communities tackling the antisocial behaviour, tackling knife crimes and they’re messing around with these [protests].
“It is frustrating for London, it’s damn frustrating for me.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/17/just-stop-oil-protesters-close-dartford-crossing-scaling-qe2/
