Just Stop Oil is starting to make people really angry

A Just Stop Oil protestor was shoved to the ground by a worker on London's Blackfriars Bridge on May 23rd after an altercation left the worker in handcuffs, the protestor badly shaken, and the city even angrier at the climate activist group.

Video footage captured the worker in a bright orange construction vest trying to remove physically remove a Just Stop Oil protestor from Blackfriars Bridge according to The Telegraph. "There have been no arrests. Police are investigating the matter," the British news outlet noted.

The incident came just days after a Just Stop Oil protestor near the Tower of London was thrown to the ground by an angry motorist in a confrontation that showed the growing discontent for the climate activist group. But what is Just Stop Oil and why are people getting so angry with them?

The name of the group 'Just Stop Oil' suddenly became known to the world when members of this environmental group put tomato soup on Van Gogh's masterpiece 'Sunflowers' in October 2022 at the National Gallery in London.

Members of 'Just Stop Oil' say their goal is to raise people's environmental awareness through radical means. According to The Guardian, the two performers asked, "Which is worth more, art or life? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?"

Many wondered what happened to the iconic painting 'Sunflowers.' Fortunately, the painting was unharmed, thanks to the protective glass covering the artwork. According to The Guardian, the National Gallery confirmed this, saying, "There is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed."

But Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' wasn't the only painting targeted by Just Stop Oil. A few months before this incident, on June 30th, 2022, two protestors from the group glued their hands onto the frame of Van Gogh's 'Peach Trees Blossom' at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

In this case, the two perpetrators have already been convicted. One was sentenced to three weeks in prison with probation, and the other was sentenced to three weeks without probation, according to The Guardian.

On October 27, a similar demonstration was held at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, targeting Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring.'

In this case, one member of 'Just Stop Oil' with a shaved head attempted to glue his head onto the painting while another protestor poured what appeared to be tomato soup on it. As in the case of 'Sunflowers,' the painting was protected by glass and was not damaged.

According to The L.A Times, one of the protestors said, "How do you feel when you see something beautiful and priceless being apparently destroyed before your eyes? Do you feel outrage? Good. That is the feeling when you see the planet being destroyed before our very eyes.”

Image: Darkmoon_Art/Pixabay

'Just Stop Oil' isn't only targeting paintings. At Madame Tussauds, a famous wax museum in London, members threw a chocolate cake at a wax figure of King Charles III in October 2022.

According to CBC News, Tom Johnson, an activist, said, "In the words of the King, the science is clear, the demands are simple. Just stop oil. It's a piece of cake."

How are people reacting to the demonstrations targeting these works of art? According to The Guardian, eyewitnesses to the 'Sunflowers' incident at the National Gallery expressed some understanding of the group's claims but said, "The typical unthinking individual who doesn't think about the big issues of the planet is not the kind of person who walks around the National Gallery."

In addition, in the case of Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring,' The Guardian reported that visitors voiced harsh criticism for the act, saying, "Shame on you!"

Meanwhile, Australian painter Caroline Zirinski  put orange paint on her own work 'This is not a planet' as people watched. There seems to be no doubt that this is a declaration of intention following the activities of 'Just Stop Oil.'

As the name suggests, 'Just Stop Oil' is an organization that appeals for environmental protection by stopping the use of fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. Therefore, they sometimes choose a more direct target rather than a sensationalist means aimed at a work of art.

The British newspaper The Daily Express reported that members of 'Just Stop Oil' glued their hands to the floor at the exhibition facility of the Volkswagen factory in Germany.

However, the staff of the facility left at the end of the day, and the protestors who were left behind complained they were left in the cold and without a means to use the toilet.

Image: 3282700/Pixabay

In addition, the group has blocked roads in various places. The BBC reported that 'Just Stop Oil' stopped traffic on highways running in the London metropolitan area as the COP27 conference was being held in Egypt.

The demonstration caused a traffic accident involving a police car and two trucks, and Essex Police Chief Sergeant B.J. Harrington said it was "a matter of time" until the protests caused fatalities, according to the BBC.

British TV station Sky News reported that members of 'Just Stop Oil' staged a sit-in on the road outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters and vandalized signs.

London's Metropolitan Police said they arrested 24 demonstrators on suspicion of vandalizing signs and obstructing traffic.

According to The Guardian, London's Metropolitan Police are predicting that 'Just Stop Oil' could cause massive 'turmoil' around London in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

There is no doubt that global climate change is now at a critical juncture. Under these circumstances, will the radical approach of 'Just Stop Oil' raise public awareness? Or will it just end up creating a backlash?