Just Stop Gaslighting The Public

Tuesday morning’s farcical scene on London’s Blackfriars Bridge was inevitable; to be honest, I’m surprised it’s taken this long. With yet another slow-walking roadblock established by the eco protest group Just Stop Oil, aided and abetted by the Metropolitan Police who were content to dawdle in the background, a white van full of workmen decided enough was enough. When beeping the horn failed to clear the way, one of the men decided to take the law into his own hands – which is just as well, seeing as no one else appeared inclined to do so. He shoved one man onto the pavement and was about to clear the rest of the mob, when the Old Bill mysteriously sprung into action; roughly handcuffing him before you could say ‘wrongful arrest’. It is worth noting that the ‘assaulted’ protestor was so shook up, it took him literally seconds to resume his place at the front of the barricade.

As if driving in central London were not already a descent into hell, the working man is now being subjected to a despicable act of psychological torture: forced to choose between being held hostage by middle-class do-gooders, and thereby forfeiting their livelihood, or running the risk that the police might suddenly remember what a ‘good nick’ looks like, should they make the common sense decision to intervene. On the video posted by Just Stop Oil you can even hear the men earnestly explain ‘We’re trying to get to work’:

https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1660923704308637696?s=20

While no arrests have apparently been made, the police confirm they are ‘investigating’ the ‘common assault’. What is interesting amongst all the reports of the incident is that the man has not been formally identified, with descriptions limited to ‘a man’, ‘a fuming workman’, and ‘a builder’. Unfortunately for the gentleman concerned, he is a white, ‘white van man’ – the lowest of the low in identity politics terms, and has therefore no rights whatsoever. Had it been Dawn Butler, Ricardo dos Santos, or even scumbags like ‘Mizzy’ held against their will, the victim hierarchy may have overturned in their favour.

However well-meaning Just Stop Oil and their ilk may be, the fact is that their behaviour is criminal. Blocking the highway is already a criminal offence, but Home Secretary Suella Braverman has also given the police additional powers to ban slow-walking in traffic. If the police are failing to protect the public from the inconvenience of these groups, that is clearly a decision they should be held accountable for.

Let’s remind ourselves of the consequences these eco agitators foist upon the public. Groups such as Just Stop Oil and their predecessor Extinction Rebellion have already been responsible for causing crashes on the M25, preventing grieving relatives from reaching their dying parents, and arguably causing death as an ambulance failed to reach crash victims in time.

Despite this, the group is still perfectly content to play the victim as their tweet on the matter illustrates:

https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1660923704308637696?s=20

If Just Stop Oil genuinely cared about saving the planet, perhaps they would do better to protest outside the Chinese, Indian and US embassies – or better still, take their struggle to Number 10. Of course they have no intention of doing so, as such actions would likely be met with short shrift – the police are certainly capable of upholding the law when it suits them, as the many accusations of ‘heavy-handed’ policing during the King’s Coronation will testify.

While I do not share the conclusions of Just Stop Oil, and I abhor their disingenuous tactics of harassing the working man rather than those they claim their fight is with, my real problem in this scenario is the British constabulary. This is the statement on Tuesday’s incident from Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, which is tantamount to gaslighting:

https://twitter.com/MetPoliceEvents/status/1661021320258412544?s=20

‘We have the power to impose conditions to prevent serious disruption to the public, which we have done on several occasions’ – how does a roadblock in central London not constitute ‘serious disruption’?

‘I urge people not to intervene and to let police deal with the situation’ – but the police aren’t dealing with the situation, that’s the point.

‘This morning’s incident on Blackfriars Bridge, in which a member of the public assaulted two protesters, was unacceptable and we will deal with anyone who behaves in this way’ – so there you have it: the police are dealing with the serious disruption, by not dealing with it. If you try to intervene and deal with it yourselves, you will be handcuffed, detained and investigated – because ‘balancing’ the rights of protesters against the rights of the wider public, effectively means you being held to ransom.

For this negligence, Commissioner Taylor should be suspended at the very least. But then, he is regrettably the tip of the iceberg. The fact is, the British constabulary has morphed into a political entity of late, and are highly selective about the crimes they dirty their hands with. It’s not just eco groups they seem content to turn a blind eye to – Black Lives Matter get a free pass, as do mosques dismissing death threats to autistic teenagers as ‘passions flaring’. Dare to protest draconian lockdown measures, pray silently in your head, or simply attempt to get to work in the morning however, and all bets are off.

It’s interesting to note that it does not have to be this way. On the continent, our European allies are much less discerning when it comes to policing. The French police manage to promptly extricate eco-activists gluing themselves to the Paris boulevards, while German police have taken to raiding properties to prevent such actions in the first place. Perhaps there’s a call for closer ties with Europe after all!

With Just Stop Oil already having blood on their hands, my fear is that repeated police indolence will drive the public to extreme measures – you can only push people so far. Eventually, a frustrated member of the public is going to drive through these protestors, and pay the price with a lengthy jail term. The Home Office must intercede now, and ensure policing without fear or favour is once again returned to the streets of London.

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