Just Stop Oil protesters may disrupt London Marathon

Around 50,000 demonstrators are expected in Westminster including Just Stop Oil over the next four days.

Just Stop Oil and others are gathering from Friday until Monday to demand an end to fossil fuels confirm Extinction Rebellion which has organised the protest.

It says there will be more than 200 environmental, civil society and union groups will be at the meeting, said to be the biggest ever organised.

Groups will include Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, US non-profit Avaaz and the Public and Commercial Services Union.

The meeting is to demand that the government stop handing out new fossil fuel licences, which so far it has refused to do.

The primary cause of climate change is due to the burning of fossil fuels and the emissions they cause continue to rise not only in the UK but throughout the world.

Extinction Rebellion promised in January to stop targeting the public during their protests and they have asked its members to help guard the London Marathon against disruption.

But they point out that they cannot be responsible for the actions of other groups who may well take the opportunity to disrupt the London Marathon.

James Skeet, spokesperson and protester with Just Stop Oil says “Just stop oil will do whatever is non-violently necessary to draw attention to the crisis, so we wouldn’t necessarily rule anything out within that framework.”

Just Stop Oil has met with representatives of the London Marathon and asked them to “issue a statement in support of our demand to end new oil and gas.”