Police help Just Stop Oil protester in wheelchair into taxi
The friendly arm of the law: Police help Just Stop Oil protester in wheelchair into taxi – while new laws to crackdown on mob’s traffic-halting slow marches won’t be in place for WEEKS
- Ari Fox, 73, was arrested by police and taken into custody in a black taxi cab
Police officers were pictured helping a disabled Just Stop Oil protester into a taxi on Wednesday as she was arrested for taking part in a slow march in Parliament Square – as it is revealed that new laws designed to crack down on the protests will not be in place until the end of June.
Ari Fox, 73, who suffers from post-polio syndrome, was arrested as one of 10 demonstrators including her carer Larch Maxey and taken to Hammersmith police station in a black cab.
According to Just Stop Oil, she has been wheelchair dependent for the past 15 years. She was arrested alongside Reverend Sue Parfitt, 81, who has previously demonstrated with Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain.
Under the new Public Order Act, police officers have the power to force activists to move out of the road or arrest them within minutes of their protests starting.
But tougher laws on the eco-protesters’ disruptive tactics will not be in place for weeks, it was reported today, as activists descended on London yet again.
Ari Fox, 73, is escorted towards a black cab by police officers after being arrested
At least a dozen police officers arrive at the scene of Just Stop Oil protests on Thursday morning
Members of Just Stop Oil arrived in Kensington at shortly after 8am on Thursday, according to the Metropolitan Police.
A statement on social media read: ‘Police were made aware of Just Stop Oil #protesters #slowmarching in the road at Wellington Arch, Kensington, at 8.07hrs, Thursday, 1 June.
‘Officers were on the scene at 8.09hrs, assessing the situation and engaging with the #protesters.’
Photographs from the scene show officers talking with protesters.
Since the introduction of the new legislation, the average time taken for officers to remove protesters from the road has been cut to 19 minutes, the Times reports.
The upcoming changes will enable officers to act ‘immediately’ to get protesters out of the road or arrest them. It comes as the group’s slow marching enters its sixth week.
New legislation last month introduced new offences for locking-on and being equipped for locking-on, causing serious disruption by tunnelling, and obstructing transport works.
The upcoming changes will broaden the definition of terms such as ‘community’ and ‘serious disruption’ to allow police officers to take swifter action against slow marchers.
However this legislation is still yet to be approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and is not set to be voted on until at least mid-June.
Ms Fox and the nine other activists were arrested after refusing a police order to leave the road.
She said: ‘I’ve come to London to join the Just Stop Oil march for my children and grandchildren.
There was a visible, heavy police presence at the scene of protests on Thursday
Ms Fox said: ‘I’ve come to London to join the Just Stop Oil march for my children and grandchildren’
Police officers arrest Ari Fox on the roadside at the Just Stop Oil protest on Wednesday
‘They are the ones who are going to have to face the mess that is being imposed on us in Britain, by our illegitimate government. We’re not asking that all oil is immediately stopped.
‘We are simply asking the Government to stop issuing new licences for oil, gas and coal. We have enough to make the transition to renewables, which are nine times cheaper. We have the technology to make this happen, it is the lack of political will that is the problem.’
Separately, footage emerged on Wednesday of police officers resorting to dragging Just Stop Oil protesters out of the road – although the group claimed these efforts were unsuccessful.
The Metropolitan Police have been contacted for comment.
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