On Wednesday morning, Stop Oil protesters blocked traffic outside the Victoria and Albert and Natural History Museums in London’s South Kensington.
Around 25 supporters sat on Cromwell Road at the junction with Exhibition Road at 9.40am holding banners. Some stuck together.
It is the latest in a series of disruptive protests by the coalition of groups, demanding that the government suspend all new oil and gas licenses and authorisations.
The Metropolitan Police said 17 protesters had been arrested.
“The group blocked the roadway with 10 people glued to it. Officers responded quickly and the road is now open. Four people were arrested nearby earlier for related offences,” the Met said.
A protester known as Mathew, 52, a civil engineer from Bristol said: “I am out of my comfort zone taking this action. It terrifies me. But climate change and its consequences are far more terrifying. I can no longer live with government decisions on authorizing new oil and gas projects.
Sophy Allen, 47, a mother and government adviser from Totnes, said: “The opening of new oil and gas projects is a direct threat to all of our lives. We accept that our actions are disruptive. Civil resistance is the only rational response to a government that multiplies fossil fuels, air pollution, drought, floods, crop failures, war and death.
The action follows two supporters who climbed the Dartford Crossing QEII bridge and spent a total of 37 hours. They were shot down on a basket and arrested Tuesday night.
On Monday protesters blocked traffic by sticking to Victoria Street in Westminster and the spraying of soup on the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy building. Twelve people were arrested.
There have been two weeks of protests organized by supporters of Just Stop Oil. Police made more than 500 arrests, according to the group.
Since the campaign began in April, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested more than 1,750 times, including five currently in jail, the group said.
Just Stop Oil was founded a few months agoin April, and the group has held several protests since.
Its website states, “Just Stop Oil is a coalition of groups working together to ensure the government commits to stopping new licensing and production of fossil fuels.
The climate activist organization is made up of several groups, with organizers from Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain at the helm.
The group is primarily funded by the Climate Emergency Fund, but also receives donations from the public and other environmental groups.
