(New York Post) An enraged motorist has been filmed assaulting a Just Stop Oil protester in London, after a “slow walk” protest blocking traffic reportedly caused a pregnant woman to crash her car.
Video of the incident posted online by the controversial group showed a man in a red hat punching a protester and knocking him to the ground before kicking him in the head.
The man is seen furiously arguing with another person who steps in to intervene, before returning to a damaged silver Mercedes with his distressed female companion.
The car appears to have been struck on the rear driver’s side by a van while attempting to change lanes.
Just Stop Oil said one of its supporters was “assaulted while demanding no new oil and gas.”
An enraged motorist has bashed a Just Stop Oil member after a “slow walk” protest blocking traffic caused a pregnant woman to crash her car.Twitter/JustStop_Oil
A video of the incident posted online showed a man in a red hat punching a protester and knocking him to the ground.Twitter/JustStop_Oil
“Daniel was assaulted while marching this morning and remained nonviolent throughout,” the group wrote. “Disruption is difficult, but it’s necessary.”
The group subsequently posted an interview with the man nursing the back of his head with a packet of frozen peas.
Daniel “would rather the police spent their time investigating the CEOs and politicians pushing for more oil and gas than chasing down the man that assaulted him”, Just Stop Oil wrote.
“Physically I’m feeling a bit better,” he said in the video.
The car appears to have been struck on the rear driver’s side by a van while attempting to change lanes.Twitter/JustStop_Oil
“If anything I feel a bit sad … because I haven’t said anything to the police, I don’t plan to, but I’m afraid the police might go ahead and you know, go after this man. I feel no ill sentiment or ill will against him. It’s a difficult situation for anyone to be in and it’s bound to create frustration. I could tell that with everything that was happening, he’d just been in a car accident as well, he was very stressed.”
Daniel said if the police should go “after the people at the top in the government or at the heads of fossil fuel companies who are killing us, really, they’re killing future generations and they’re funding this toxic media space that creates a certain violent world that we’re all living in.”
“If the police spent any amount of time going after them instead of people like the man from before I’d be much happier,” he said.
Just Stop Oil said one of its supporters was “assaulted while demanding no new oil and gas.”Twitter/JustStop_Oil
London’s Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment.
Commenting on the incident, Sky News host Piers Morgan lashed out at the protesters as “complete prats.”
“Where exactly is the law? Where were the police,” Morgan said. “I can sympathize for the anger someone feels when they’re trying to go about their day to get to a hospital appointment.”
“Daniel was assaulted while marching this morning and remained nonviolent throughout,” Just Stop Oil wrote. “Disruption is difficult, but it’s necessary.”Twitter/
Some have previously accused the police of siding with the protesters against taxpayers.
In May, a furious motorist was detained and handcuffed by officers after shoving an activist to the ground on Blackfriars Bridge.
“You are f**king assaulting people,” one officer says during the struggle caught on video.
But another passer-by tells the officers to “give the guy a break, he’s just trying to get to work.”
Metropolitan Police later said the man had been detained but not arrested.
“We completely understand the frustration and anger of London‘s communities when protesters walk slowly on the roads,” police said.
“We urge people not to intervene and to let police deal with the situation who, if not already there, will arrive promptly.”
Climate activists from groups including Just Stop Oil have sparked widespread public backlash across Europe in recent months for their highly disruptive eco-protests, blocking traffic, defacing priceless artwork, and interrupting sporting events.
Tensions with motorists have frequently boiled over, with several incidents of protesters being dragged off the road and manhandled by fed-up members of the public going viral.
On Monday, another motorist was seen tussling with Just Stop Oil members, as around 200 people joined in marches to stop traffic around London in 14 different locations.
