Just Stop Oil activists from Cumbria helped cause congestion in Manchester city centre in the group’s most recent protest.
The group organised a ‘go slow’ march in the city to highlight their campaign for the Government to stop all new oil and gas projects in the UK.
Fiona Atkinson, of Kendal, is a retired teacher and grandmother. She took part in the go slow march. She said: “Don’t ask me why I’m doing this. Ask yourself why you aren’t doing this? How many ‘once in a lifetime’ floods, wild fires, storms and heatwaves will it take to get you to walk beside me saying “No more new oil, gas or
coal” to this government?
“All we want is our leaders to protect all children everywhere from the worst of the climate emergency.”
Catherine Rennie-Nash, 72, also a retired teacher and grandmother from Kendal, who spent two spells in jail last year for her actions with Just Stop Oil, said: “While this government continues to grant licences for new oil and gas exploration against all scientific advice, so sentencing my grandchildren to an horrific future of climate and biodiversity breakdown, I will continue with non-violent civil resistance.”
Also taking part were Margaret Reid, 52, a former museum professional from Kendal who spent seven weeks in jail last year for her actions with Just Stop Oil; Tommy Burnett, 29, a taxi driver from Kendal and Fiona Prior, a 59-year-old grandmother and retired teacher from Carlisle.
The Manchester action follows a campaign of disruptive action by Just Stop Oil in the final months of 2022, with daily road blocks in the centre of London in October, the repeated closure of the M25 in November when Just Stop Oil supporters climbed the overhead gantries, and a series of slow marches in the capital in December.
