On Wednesday, multiple members of infamous environmentalist group Just Stop Oil were arrested in London as they gathered for a soup night event. A total of six people were taken into custody at the supper, while another was apprehended at his parents' house nearby.
The Metropolitan Police alleged that the organization was planning to disrupt numerous airports across the United Kingdom this summer, and that some of those arrested were "key organisers." Agitators have ramped up their stunts in recent weeks, with some targeting famous landmarks and private jets.
"We know Just Stop Oil plan to disrupt airports and thousands of holidaymakers this summer," the Met said in a statement. "All the arrests were under a section of the Public Order Act which makes it illegal to conspire to disrupt national infrastructure."
The force noted that it will "continue to work with airport operators and others to prevent significant disruption, making it clear that activists "do not have the right to commit criminal acts that may also endanger themselves and others."
"Anyone who disrupts the safety and security of an airport," they warned, "can expect to be dealt with swiftly and robustly."
Footage of the arrests showed the activists being handcuffed and led out of the hall. "The grounds [of your arrest]," one activist was told, "are by taking part in the organization of this event this evening I suspect that you are taking part to plot to cause serious disruption to UK airports."
The one suspect arrested at his parents' house, Daniel, said he was "not really sure why" the police had come to take him away. "This is what happens when you resist the British state," he added.
Last week, while attempting to target Taylor Swift's private jet and deface it with orange substance in London, agitators instead vandalized two completely random planes. As the Daily Mail reports, a source explained that this was just a "prelude," and that their nuisance would only escalate.
