M25 protestors told to put skills ‘to good use’ climbing mountains not gantries

Published 21/03/2023 · Updated 21/03/2023

Essex Police’s chief constable has told climate change activists to put their climbing skills “to good use” on mountains rather than ascending gantries on the M25 and Dartford Crossing. It comes as Ben-Julian Harrington reassured Essex his officers would act “robustly” to deal with protesters who act beyond the legal limit.

Activists from Just Stop Oil routinely brought Essex to a halt in the second half of last year. In October, two men climbed the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, linking Kent and Essex, bringing the major traffic route to a halt. In August, a number of activists dug a tunnel underneath St Clements Way in Grays to block a key delivery route to a nearby oil terminal.

Speaking exclusively to EssexLive, Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said he understands the reason behind the action caused by Just Stop Oil – but said he stands by previous comments in which he told protesters to “grow up”.

He said: “Everybody cares about the planet and recognises the harm that global warming is causing. I have two teenage daughters who remind me of it continually. That’s really important.”

“But what’s not acceptable is when you put youself and members of the public at danger,” he continued. “When you have people running about the motorways, that’s putting my officers and staff at danger and that’s not acceptable. We had a motorcyclist hurt at one point.

“It stops people getting to work, children getting to school, people going to hospital appointments, and wastes a huge amount of police resources where they should be tackling domestic abuse or other things.

“What they are stuck having to do is keep people safe who should not be there in the first place. No one doubts the importance of the issue of global warming and climate change, but what I’m really critical of and we will continue to deal with robustly is where people break the law in a completely disproportionate way.

“You can make your point but the things we saw in Essex were illegal, damn right dangers and we will continue to deal with that if Just Stop Oil or anyone else comes back in that way.”

Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Pressed on whether he stood by his previous comments about Just Stop Oil protesters needing to grow up, the Chief Constable added: “When you have two people climbing up a huge bridge they have got to grow up. I admire their courage and their climbing skills, but that would be better off climbing the peaks of the mountains or elsewhere. They should be using it to good effect and not putting their lives and the lives of the officers at risk.

“It’s the same with those who went on the gantries, running alongside the motorways. Anybody who works on fast roads will tell you that it’s so dangerous.

“Look at how many deaths there are due to the speeds that people are travelling at. Anyone who does that is not making a point but acting with juvenile behaviour. They put themselves at risk as well as members of the public too.

“My officers go to too many incidents on fast roads where they have to deal with the consequences. I do not want protesters to get injured and I do not want the public or the staff to get injured too.”

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