Veteran eco-warrior Swampy rejects Just Stop Oil's protest tactics

2023-07-06

Veteran eco-warrior Swampy rejects Just Stop Oil tactics as he joins ‘moderate alternative’ group that counts a Tory peer and BBC presenter Chris Packham among its members

Swampy says the disruptive protesters are ‘obviously brave and passionate’
But he thinks change comes from working with politicians and the community
Latest Wimbledon 2023 news, including schedule, travel updates and results

A veteran eco-warrior who gained fame for his climate change protests has rejected the tactics used by Just Stop Oil, claiming instead that the ‘time has come to bring communities together’.

Mr Hooper, 50, has joined the Climate Majority Project (CMP), which rejects the disruptive methods used by JSO and Extinction Rebellion and instead focuses on promoting action in politics.

CMP counts Tory peer Lord Randall of Uxbridge, who was Theresa May’s former environment adviser, and BBC presenter Chris Packham among its members.

The group’s staff of a dozen is currently working on a ‘MP watch’ programme that aims to hold politicians accountable, as well as various community projects. CMP also has advertising partnerships in a bid to shift consumer behaviour.

The activist’s criticisms of JSO come as the controversial group has launched daily traffic disruptions, interrupted the Wimbledon tennis tournament and tossed orange powder on the wicket during England’s second Ashes test with Australia.

Veteran eco-warrior Swampy (pictured on Good Morning Britain today) – who gained fame for his climate change protests – has rejected the tactics used by Just Stop Oil, claiming instead that the ‘time has come to bring communities together

Swampy, whose real name is Daniel Hooper, says that while the protesters who disrupt traffic or sporting events are ‘obviously brave and passionate’, he thinks real change will come from working with people from ‘different walks of life’. Pictured: A JSO protester throwing confetti on to the grass during Katie Boulter’s first-round match against Daria Saville yesterday at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Mr Hooper revealed that while he ‘wouldn’t do it that way’, he believes that the protesters interrupting sporting events are ‘very dedicated people’. Pictured: A JSO protester interrupts day one of the second Ashes test match at Lord’s on June 28

Mr Hooper, who became famous in the 1990s after spending a week in a tunnel in a bid to stop the expansion of the A30 in Devon, has suggested that JSO’s tactics may have reached their limits.

The activist, appearing on Good Morning Britain this morning, was questioned about the moment a JSO protester stormed court 18 at Wimbledon yesterday, disrupting Katie Boulter’s match against Australia’s Daria Saville.

He revealed that while he ‘wouldn’t do it that way’, he believes that the protesters interrupting events are ‘very dedicated people’.

‘The type of direct action that I would do would be to hold companies accountable for causing environmental damage,’ he told presenter Susanna Reid. ‘That particular action isn’t holding people accountable, but it’s got people talking about it.’

Mr Hooper believes the ‘most meaningful change’ has happened through direct action, but noted that he ‘wouldn’t have thought’ to disrupt traffic or sport matches.

He says the public is aware of the impacts of climate change and that groups not need a ‘broad range’ of people to come together and say ‘How are we going to do this?’

‘Hopefully [CMP] will at least assist in doing that, and bring people in from different walks of life, including myself and, dare I say it, a Tory peer,’ he told The Sunday Times. ‘There’s got to be common ground. The message is out there, now we need to get the job done.’

Mr Hooper, who was once dubbed the ‘human mole’, became famous in the 1990s after spending a week in a tunnel in a bid to stop the expansion of the A30 in Devon. He is pictured during his tunnel protest

Mr Hooper also staged a protest to to stop the HS2 in January 2021 (pictured)

The activist, who after his tunnel protest was dubbed the ‘human mole’, also slammed politicians over the ‘ludicrous’ laws to limit peaceful protest.

He said: ‘If I were in a tunnel now I’d get up to three years in prison.

‘I wouldn’t say I’d never do it again but you’ve got to think about how much gets stopped compared to how much you could put up with.’

The 50-year-old said that at this point in his life, he wouldn’t want to be jailed and miss time with his children.

He did add, however, that those taking more drastic protest action are ‘obviously brave and passionate’.

JSO have hit a number of other sporting events in recent weeks, including yesterday at Wimbledon.

The climate change activists involved in the protests snuck confetti into the ground inside boxes of the jigsaw puzzles, before running onto the court and scattering the contents across the grass.

British No 1 Katie Boulter had her tie-break against Daria Saville disrupted – with both players helping groundstaff clear the confetti and puzzle pieces from the court before play resumed.

Boulter beat the Australian in straight sets (7-6, 6-2) to reach to the second round of the tournament after the disruption, while Grigor Dimitrov – whose match against Sho Shimabukuro was also hit by protests – cruised past his opponent 6‑1, 6‑2, 6‑1.

In a video shared by the eco-group of the invasion during Boulter’s match, a protester named by the group as Willian John Ward, is seen jumping out of his front row seat, climbing over the cloth barrier and making a dash onto the court.

The protester was named by Just Stop Oil as William John Ward, who said he felt he had ‘no choice’ but to protest

Wimbledon is no longer selling jigsaw puzzles after protesters used them to hide confetti yesterday

One protester staged a brief sit-in yesterday before being bodily escorted off by Wimbledon security

England cricket star Jonny Bairstow was hailed ‘a hero’ for carrying Daniel Knorr off the pitch at Lord’s on June 28

Police officers picked up Knorr and carried him away after Bairstow intervened

Taking out a puzzle box from what appeared to be a laptop case, he is seen unzipping his coat to reveal his Just Stop Oil T-shirt, before flinging the shards of orange plastic onto the grass.

The shocked players are seen standing next to security as the activist tussles with two suited security guards before being pulled off the grounds.

Wimbledon said the man had been removed from the grounds before being arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage.

The grounds has stopped the sale of souvenir jigsaws at the official Wimbledon Shop after the two incidents.

A JSO campaigner was also carried off the wicket at Lord’s by Jonny Bairstow during England’s second Ashes test with Australia.

Daniel Knorr, a 21-year-old biochemistry student from Oxford, Jason Bourne, a 26-year-old from Leeds, and Judit Murray, a 69-year-old grandmother from Surrey, ran onto the world’s most famous cricket ground while hurling orange powder into the air.

England wicketkeeper Bairstow was forced to take matters into his own hands by physically stopping Knorr and carrying him across the outfield – to cheers from the crowd.

Knorr, who was arrested in April trying to scale and cover ‘Dippy the Diplodocus’ with orange powder at a Coventry gallery, looked utterly delighted as a quietly determined Bairstow lugged him away before dumping him on the boundary for security to deal with. He was then dragged off by police.

JSO has been staging daily protests since April 24. Pictured: Just Stop Oil members hold banners as they marched along Brompton Road in West London last week

Pictured: Police arrive on the Old Brompton Road in West London last Thursday after Just Stop Oil carried out another slow walking protest

The student will appear alongside his two co-defendants at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 31. The charges carry a maximum penalty of three months’ imprisonment.

JSO has been staging daily protests since early spring. The group has said its activists have completed up to seven marches a day, six days a week since April 24 with more than 600 people from across the UK taking part.

The group claimed that there have been 227 arrests so far this year, including those detained at the Coronation and cultural and sporting events.

JSO added that since its campaign launched on February 14, 2022, there have been more than 2,200 arrests and 138 people have spent time in prison.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist told LBC last week that policing the action has cost £5.5million since April, on top of the £7.5million spent policing the series of protests JSO staged between last October and December.

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