M25 protesters chaos

Why are people having a go at the Police?

The Police have to operate within the law. They arrested people blocking the road, including some who had glued themselves to the carrageway! Members of the public who decide to take matters into their own hands by physically trying to remove the protesters should expect to be arrested.

What do you expect? Batons and watercannons? Bring back the birch? This is Britain, not communist China

I thought it was an offence to
Block the highway. What a waste of police resources.
I totally the right to protest but not at the expense of everyone else trying to go about their lawful business. I feel sorry for the police officers having to deal with this presumably on (daft IMHO) orders from above?
The protesters should have been cleared immediately!

GrannyGravy13 Yes but it’s at government level that the lobbying has to come from - our government talks the talk but isn’t actually doing enough - the protesters are trying to get OUR government to take the lead - what are they doing? - building a new coal mine, giving water companies the green light to discharge sewage , cutting down swathes of ancient woodland for HS2 , letting developers build shoddy rabbit hutches housing anywhere rather than enforce environmental standards, I could go on. Our government must do the international lobbying, so they have to be persuaded and not pander to the fossil fuel lobby. What effective way can people lobby or protest which will make the government listen or do we just wait for more deaths and destruction from fires, floods, rising temperatures, until more species have become extinct due to human activity?

Thinking that we're doing fine because we have reduced emissions is burying your head in the sand. We're going to miss our 2030 targets by about 20%, I believe.

Complaining that this week's actions are bad because they lead to increased emissions displays a breathtaking misunderstanding of the scale of the issue.

So for all those that point the finger at the Chinese and complain that they should be lobbying them, remember the oft repeated phrase that appears in GN - Charity begins at home. Well so does responsibility.

French farmers used to regularly block autoroutes and country roads with tractors, hay bales and whatever. It was effective - although I am not advocating an upsurge in gilets jaunes here.

I’m with you on defending the message vegansrock, but I’m also with you and all the other worried people, who can’t suggest ideas about what will be the best tactic.
It’s easy to say the government should do something. I can do that. But what should they do? They have to think big; tackle the most polluting companies, promote greener ways of doing things. But we have to do our bit too.
Which useful way could be used to persuade people not to go on flights, not to use cars, especially second hand, often more polluting ones which are the only ones some people can afford? What will stop people buying electric devices and sitting in fuel hungry heating using and recharging those devices.
What do you suggest?

The only way to make change is to protest!

Slavery was abolished because enough people protested and made life difficult for government.

Votes for women was won by women protesting and manning factories during WW1.

Vietnam war became untenable because of protest by action in the USA.

Nuclear weapons were finally removed because the Greenham Common women never gave up.

Etc. etc.

We made massive pollution in the 19th Century. Many of our rivers are still polluted by agri-chemicals, sewage and industrial waste. 70% of our housing stock emits carbon dioxide because of poor insulation.

We have a mountain to climb and urgent action has to be taken by all of us otherwise the human race may be eradicated by our inactivity.

Our governments over the past years have done little or nothing to reduce our pollution. They are still debating or fiddling whilst Rome burns.

At least the M25 action has people talking. What do you all suggest should be done now?

This definitely is not the right way surely they want the support of the public not total annoyance from most
They need the police to support them because if they were not present I think they would move quicker HGV drivers are having enough problems at the moment without these idiots blocking the road

This protest in not an XR protest and is not connected with them.
Having said that the message remains the same, although the execution of this one was wrong on so many levels, we have to do something, not just our Government but as individuals, time is running out.

Just because I do not support the actions of the last week by Insulate UK does not mean that I have a head in the sand attitude regarding climate change.

I just think that it is counterproductive that their actions are causing more emissions.

The U.K. is lowering its emissions year on year I believe, however many other bigger and more industrial countries are increasing theirs. Every Country needs to get onboard to save the Planet, lobbying China, Russia, USA and Germany etc would be more effective do you not think?

Perhaps those moaning should suggest an EFFECTIVE way of protesting about the climate emergency which is happening right now? Protesting outside the Chinese embassy will have zero effect - we need OUR government to take the lead here and now. XR isn’t just middle class kids- there’s plenty of retired folks anxious about the planet for their grandchildren - the floods, fires, man made pollution and climate change are happening , we need action now not in 25 years time. Don’t just put your head in the sand- I’m not saying blocking the M25 is the best tactic but I’m defending the message here.

Some woman on the regional news last night kept going on about how ‘Boris should insulate people’s homes’, as though he was going to do it all himself. And of course, wringing her hands, she was ‘desperately’ sorry for any disruption caused.

That’s all ok then.

I’ve been worried about the environment for decades. I’ve supported Greenpeace for as long as I can remember,too. But I would never do anything that might potentially stop people from getting to hospital appointments or possibly even working in hospitals.

What exactly do they have to do to get the point across? I don't approve of their methods - but I'm far more alarmed by the head-in-the-sand-brigade.

It's time to get deadly serious about limiting emissions and cleaning up our act. The government needs to be forced into effective action. All they do is tinker around the edges, set future'targets' - dither, delay and actions are too little, too late.

After all, this disruption is just a tiny ripple in the forthcoming climate disaster that threatens the lives of the young. Why do so many older grandparents care so little about the environment - and what the future will be like? Is it an 'I'm alright Jack' thing? That's what really worries me.

I heard that, JenniferEccles. I also saw them restraining members of the public (motorists) who tried to shift the protestors off the road. Now how come they can restrain and man-handle the motorists but not the flippin' protestors?
Indeed, the Police are behaving like a toothless old dog with poor eyesight.

It gets worse - police apparently asked the eco anarchists if they were comfortable, or did they need anything.
Simply staggering.
What on earth has happened to our police force?

Idiots and the Police are a joke who should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe all the unfortunate people caught up in this ridiculous protest should think about suing the protesters for loss of wages/business etc. Hit them where it hurts in their pockets. Also wasn’t there a poor woman seriously hurt in a car accident as a result of the blocking of the motorway.

Idiots the lot of them ! LucyLocket 55
do hope your friends daughter is receiving appropriate support . A very worrying situation for your friend.

I'm not sure who I'm most disgusted with, the protestors or the Police for not moving them on quickly. The Police response was pathetic. This goes back to the thread I started on Cressida Dick's 2 year extension as head of the Met. She has made another blooper here, how can anyone be endlessly rewarded for consistent failure?

A truck filled with insulation was caught up in all this

Why do these protestors never demonstrate outside the embassies of those countries who contribute the most to pollution and global warming?

JJ aren't we all when trying to get from A to B?

yeah my husband and son are average

Protests on the M25 are not infrequent. Our eldest son missed a flight because some fools were dangling from a bridge near Heathrow, something to do with rights for fathers I think. The average man on the motorway remembers the inconvenience caused but not the message. They cost the highway services unnecessary expense and take them off other important duties.

They are articulate, they can write, they can hold open meetings but their message fails to impress most people who are capable of thinking for themselves.
Therefore the need to make an exhibition of themselves, literally.