Police have been handing out Public Order Act notices and detaining people since 8.10am this Monday morning as around 180 activists, split into 14 groups, rallied in Lambeth, Victoria, Liverpool Street and other locations. The march marks 13 weeks since Just Stop Oil began its latest campaign pushing for Westminster to halt new licensing or consents for oil, gas and coal extraction in Britain. The government is currently considering a major expansion of drilling in the North Sea along with several on-land projects, with oil giants including Shell, Ineos and BP all vying for projects. Frances Davis, 20, from Norwich was among the early detainees and spoke as she was held in handcuffs:

“I’ve been marching for just under 15 minutes and I’m under arrest for demanding the same thing as the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the United Nations and the government’s own scientific advisors have been demanding – and we’ve just been ignored. We’ve tried everything else and now I’m in handcuffs, just for going on a march.” As has happened increasingly often following extraordinary press hostility against the non-violent protest group, JSO members were accosted and physically attacked by a member of the public on Marylebone Road. This morning’s marches come as extreme heat continues to ravage Europe and now 110 million people have been issued extreme heat warnings in the US, as a heat dome over the US south-west has translated into coast to coast alerts. Temperature records could be broken in as many as 38 cities. In Las Vegas security guards can be seen guarding the fountains of upscale casinos and hotels to prevent people from jumping in, whilst mobile clinics are reporting treating homeless people suffering from third-degree burns. In Exeter, meanwhile, A student disrupted his graduation ceremony at the city’s university, spraying orange paint into the main piazza as students looked on.

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Pic: Just Stop Oil