Just Stop Oil Declares Victory and Ends Direct Action Campaign in London

[Social Media]

 

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Just Stop Oil Declares Victory and Ends Direct Action Campaign in London

 

After three years of headline-grabbing protests, Just Stop Oil (JSO) has declared its campaign a success and brought an end to its direct action efforts with one final march through central London. As activists ceremoniously hung up their iconic orange high-vis vests on Saturday, the group insisted, "It has been a success."

 

Since its formation, JSO has drawn both attention and controversy through a series of bold actions. From disrupting major sporting events and throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers to climbing gantries over the M25 and spraying orange paint across Stonehenge, their protests have sparked fierce debate. The financial cost to police forces has run into tens of millions of pounds.

 

 

Now, the group says those dramatic days are over. A few hundred activists took to the streets for a final time, blocking roads as they marched. Taxi drivers responded by blaring their horns, while football fans heckled from the pavements. During the protest, footage captured by the PA News Agency showed a tense moment when a white minivan appeared to drive towards demonstrators. Protesters shouted, "I'm being pushed back!" to police officers, while the driver could be heard shouting, "What about my right to get home?"

 

Popularity was never the group's aim. Just Stop Oil believes that despite widespread public anger, its methods have been effective. They point to the new Labour government’s commitment not to issue any new oil or gas exploration licences as evidence of their success. "This moment marks the success of the JSO campaign - our demand was to end new oil and gas licences and that is now government policy," the group said. "As a result of which four billion barrels of oil are being kept under the North Sea. The campaign has reached a natural end."

 

However, not everyone agrees that the group’s end is solely due to achieving its goals. Dr. Oscar Berglund, senior lecturer in international public and social policy, suggested to Sky News that declining public support and increased policing may have played a role. "They have very low levels of popularity. About 17% of the British population are kind of broadly supportive of what Just Stop Oil do. And that's too low to recruit. It's difficult to recruit members to something that is that unpopular, and then that a lot of people for good reason I think have kind of stopped believing in that kind of disruption as a means to achieve meaningful change."

 

The group's activities have also led to changes but not in the way they intended. New laws. Policing commentator Graham Wettone noted, "Obstruction of the highway, obstruction of rail networks for example, these are specific offences now. It's given the police more tactics, more methods, more offences they can consider, even stopping and searching somebody who may have something to either lock themselves on or glue themselves to something."

 

While Just Stop Oil follows in the footsteps of controversial movements like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, its departure leaves a lasting legacy. Other activist groups, such as Pro-Palestinian Youth Justice, have adopted similar disruptive tactics. Though the orange vests may be packed away, the spirit and methods of Just Stop Oil seem likely to continue through new causes and campaigns.

 

  Adpated by ASEAN Now from Sky News  2025-04-28

 

 

[Bert got kinky]

 

Just Stop Oil (JSO) has declared its campaign a success

Wow, they managed to stop oil?

I never noticed, when did this happen?

 

[JonnyF]

See how easily they folded when the police/courts finally stood up to them?

 

The only thing they succeeded at was making the general public despise them.

 

Great job. 😆

[jesimps]

They haven't quit. They'll just find another cause to use to cause maximum disruption to what they see as the establishment. They're all anarchists who I view as no better than lice on the body of mankind.

[AhFarangJa]

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

They point to the new Labour government’s commitment not to issue any new oil or gas exploration licences as evidence of their success.

Gormless morons do not realise that in doing so, all that happens is the oil is bought overseas, and transported to uk. which utimately increases prices.

[impulse]

They probably ran out of bail money.  Sooner or later, you run out of OPM.

 

[Gsxrnz]

When will these infantile morons realise their high-viz uniform jackets are made almost exclusively from dinosaur juice.

 

Worse, they hang their dinosaur juice jackets on a washing line as a symbol of their "victory".

 

Modern day rebels without a clue. At least the Hippies knew what they were protesting about - well, at least some of the time. 

[JonnyF]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

They probably ran out of bail money.  Sooner or later, you run out of OPM.

 

 

Once the police started doing their job instead of bringing them cucumber sandwiches and arresting anyone who became angered by their selfish disruption, they folded pretty quickly.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/just-stop-oil-jailed-m25-environmental-protest-b2582111.html

 

I'm not sure the likes of Lucia and Cressida ever thought they'd see (or were cut out for) the inside of a jail cell. 

 

[Bkk Brian]

23 minutes ago, jesimps said:

They haven't quit. They'll just find another cause to use to cause maximum disruption to what they see as the establishment. They're all anarchists who I view as no better than lice on the body of mankind.

Correct, they've transformed themselves into "Youth Demand" and are busy already with their new fixation.

 

https://archive.ph/fMtgp

[bendejo]

Just checked.  In California the gas stations are still open, no talk of shutting down. 

 

[Watawattana]

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

After three years of headline-grabbing protests, Just Stop Oil (JSO) has declared its campaign a success

Oh really.  Good.   The world is a much better place now.  🥱

[klauskunkel]

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

As activists ceremoniously hung up their iconic orange high-vis vests on Saturday

hi-viz safety vests are made with a tricot polyester material..., just saying...

 

on the other I do fear for London as a horde of mostly middle-aged women is suddenly directionless...

[JonnyF]

2 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

on the other I do fear for London as a horde of mostly middle-aged women is suddenly directionless...

 

They've still got the "Free Free Palestine" and  "Transwomen are women" marches to attend.