Just Stop Oil supporters gathered outside Keir Starmer’s house to sing ‘climate-criminal’ Christmas carols. They were demanding that, as the likely leader of the next UK government, Starmer commits to cancelling all new oil and gas licences, including those already greenlit by the current government.
Silent night, oily night
At around 8:30pm on Thursday 14 December, a group of nine supporters of Just Stop Oil gathered outside Starmer’s London residence to deliver a letter and to sing re-imagined versions of Christmas carols and popular songs – calling on him to end all new oil, gas, and coal projects in the UK. The supporters could be seen holding signs saying “Revoke Rosebank” and “Arrest the real criminals”:
🚨 BREAKING: Just Stop Oil Christmas Carol Outside Keir Starmer's House
🎵 9 Just Stop Oil supporters have been threatened with arrest for singing climate criminal carols, and ordered not to return to his house for 3 months.
🚔 @metpoliceuk is carol singing illegal now? pic.twitter.com/7MJsP4Sd57
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) December 14, 2023
Police ordered the group to disperse under Section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act and ordered them to leave the vicinity of the premises for three months or they would be arrested:
Although Starmer has stated that Labour will end new oil and gas projects in the UK, Labour has so far refused to cancel the new fossil fuel projects approved by Rishi Sunak’s government. This includes Rosebank, a project that is destined to emit more carbon into the atmosphere than 28 whole countries combined.
The carolers delivered a letter to Starmer which can be read here. Part of it stated:
You appear to have wavered in your commitment to show real leadership on this issue. Your refusal to cancel the new oil and gas licences that are being approved by the current government… is nothing short of a crime against humanity…
How do you want to be remembered Keir? As the ghost of Christmas past? Or as the man who gave us a future? It’s time for action, not words.
Starmer: complicit in another crime against humanity
One of those serenading Starmer was Rory from London, who works as a secondary school teacher. He said:
Beyond the culture wars and political point scoring, our world is at a crisis point. Our homes and our families are under threat. Our political system is failing us. At a time where bold leadership is required to deal with the multiple crises we face, Labour are promising more of the same.
Failing to revoke new oil licences would be tantamount to ‘rubber-stamping’ the last ditch, ‘slash and burn’ actions of the current Tory leadership, who are hell-bent on enriching themselves and those they serve in the oil and gas lobby. This complicity is nothing short of a crime against humanity.
Another of those ‘singing for Starmer’ is Rosie, who works as an editor. She said:
Starmer knows he needs to do the right thing for his children, and that is to cancel all new oil and gas licences if he gets to number 10. He is a former human rights lawyer, he should know the difference between right and wrong.
History will not be kind to those who knew how bad the situation was with the climate, but allowed the extremists in the Tory party and oil lobby to destroy everything for their own selfish enrichment- killing millions in the process. The Tories have no mandate to issue these licences, and as PM, Starmer’s obligation is to serve the public who want action on the climate crisis now.
Governments are the real criminals
There have been 670 arrests of Just Stop Oil supporters since 30 October. There are currently three Just Stop Oil supporters in prison, two of which have been imprisoned for peacefully marching in the road. They join Marcus Decker, who has been imprisoned for over a year of his two years seven months sentence. Fourteen Just Stop Oil supporters are currently under electronic tag surveillance.
Just Stop Oil said:
Continued expansion of new oil and gas will bring about the wholesale destruction of ordered society and an end to the rule of law. We are not prepared to watch while the government continues to serve the interests of a few, at the expense of everyone else. It’s up to all of us to come together and resist. It is the will of the overwhelming majority of people that we take the actions necessary to ensure our survival and together we can make it happen.
Our government are the real criminals – imprisoning peaceful people for taking proportionate action to protect their communities, whilst licensing more than 100 new oil and gas projects, which will destroy everything we value. We’re coming together to demand an end to new oil and gas. It’s not a case of ‘if’ we will win; but ‘when’.
Featured image via Just Stop Oil
