'Selfish and disruptive': Councillors call to stop illegal eco protests
Conservative councillors will call on members to publicly condemn eco protestors, and demand an end to illegal demonstrations.
The group of Shropshire councillors, including Richard Marshall, Garry Burchett, Steve Davenport, Geoff Elner, Hilary Luff and Dan Morris, criticised protestors for "wilful vandalism", threatening lives by blocking roads when people need to get to hospital, and for the "selfish" act of stopping a son attending his father's funeral due to stopping traffic.
It comes after several controversial Just Stop Oil protests including people gluing themselves to busy roads and tying themselves to goalposts at Premier League football matches, as well as incidents at Barclays bank.
Protestors pretended to be corpses in Shrewsbury's branch recently and would not leave, and several Shropshire people were arrested by police and charged after chaining themselves up inside a Barclays branch in Cardiff. The protestors were demonstrating against the bank's fossil fuel investments.
The group of councillors said in a statement: "Barclays bank in Shrewsbury were subjected to a disruptive protest in November by an Extinction Rebellion group. Again, created additional inconvenience to the residents of Shropshire.
"We recognise the right in the United Kingdom under our democracy, for peaceful protest. However, we are vehemently against protests that include wilful vandalism, the disruption of individuals attempting to earn a lawful living, the blocking of roads that impedes parents taking their children to hospital for vital lifesaving appointments and in the utterly selfish act of depriving a son attending his own father’s funeral by stopping the flow of traffic on the nation’s highways.
"This is an issue that has impact on Shropshire residents and businesses caught up in these protests. Local Shropshire businesses have lost many hours over the past few months with the disruption. This is at a time when both residents and businesses across Shropshire are already being hit with higher costs and can ill afford the additional costs of unlawful protests."
A motion they have submitted calls on the council to publicly condemn all illegal protests organised by Just Stop Oil or similar groups, and demand the permanent cessation of all illegal protests and request these groups work constructively with both local and national government to achieve mutually desired net zero targets.
In the motion, they note "that the United Kingdom are leading the way on climate change, with 90% of the world’s economy covered by net zero targets, a significant increase from just one third before the UK’s COP 26 presidency."
It asks members to support the statement that "as a council we are supportive of the UK Government’s ambition to make this country a clean energy superpower and is proud of the UK’s overall record on cutting greenhouse emissions.
"We recognise and understand the need to act on the environment but believes that cooperation with the UK Government and our residents is the right way to pursue our objectives.
"We are concerned with the impact of illegal protests on residents and threats against nationally important infrastructure."
The motion will be debated at Thursday's full council meeting at 10am at Shirehall. To watch online visit bit.ly/3Bvfwg6 and click on the agenda front sheet to access the video link.
