Frustrated Truck Driver Pulls Just Stop Oil Protester Off His Tanker
Tempers have flared in Essex as photos have emerged of an angry truck driver pulling an environmental protestor off their tanker after they'd sought to impede travel.
The protestors were part of the Just Stop Oil group, which has made headlines several times in recent weeks due to a series of actions.
This morning (15 April), they were outside Grays Inter Terminals in Essex disrupting oil tankers as they attempted to fill up and set off on their deliveries.
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As dawn broke at the oil terminal, the group of environmentalists set themselves on top of tankers. Others forced themselves between the barrels and cabs of vehicles, before drivers eventually pulled them away in anger.
One driver was even photographed taking matters into his own hands by angrily pulling down one of the protestors.
Essex wasn't the only place hit, with other activists also blocking the Kingsbury Terminal in Birmingham. Several vehicles were hijacked there, which allegedly paused production.
According to The Sun, Just Stop Oil's month-long action has resulted in petrol supplies dwindling across the UK, as they seek to pile pressure on the government to block new drilling sites.
However, fuel chiefs maintain that only a small amount of forecourts have been affected by the protests, and insist that there is no need for the public to panic buy.
Today's events aren't the first Just Oil protests to have hit the terminal. Just last week, on April 6, the campaigners had made a similar move and occupied the site - busiest oil terminal in south-east England - located in Thurrock, Essex.
A day later they continued their efforts by breaking into the UK’s largest inland oil terminal in Kingsbury, in Warwickshire.
This came after 10 terminals were hit on April 1, with ExxonMobil oil refineries in London, Birmingham, Southampton and a number of other sites being affected.
The demonstrations are a bid to urge the government to 'stop planning the destruction of their future' and put an end to 'all new oil and gas', they say.
Extinction Rebellion, who are also involved in the campaign, said at the time they were calling on people to join them for daily protests in London's Hyde Park.
"In the tradition of non-violent civil disobedience, we will disrupt business as usual until the government and big business make change. We need everyone to join us," a spokesperson for the group said.
"The energy crisis is really starting to hit home on people, and people really want us to step up into a space where their voice is heard."
Simon Catling