Inside Insulate Britain: White, middle-class middle-aged group carry out group hugs and trust exercises at ‘safehouse’ telling each other ‘I have complete trust in you’ as they prepare for motorway road blockades
- Clip shows activists meeting at house off Edgware road a day before the protest
- Eco-protestors gather in circle and tell each other: ‘I have complete trust in you’
- One activist, Biff, says he is prepared to have ‘everything taken away’ from him
- It follows the group bringing parts of central London to a standstill on Monday
This is the moment Insulate Britain activists prepare for a motorway road blockade with trust exercises and group hugs.
Footage filmed by UnHerd shows the protestors meeting at an Airbnb ‘safehouse’ off Edgware Road one day before causing rush-hour chaos in the capital.
Gathering in a circle, the activists put their arms around each other’s shoulders and say: ‘I have complete trust in you, and I have complete trust in myself.’
At one point the group burst into laughter as Cambridge-based organiser Louise Lancaster, who quit her job as a teacher to campaign, says: ‘The heating seems to be impossible to turn off.
‘It is very, very sad, having to open the windows.’
The clip’s release follows the eco-zealots bringing parts of central London to a standstill on Monday, with several of them gluing their hands, feet or faces to roads.
Gathering in a circle, the activists put their arms around each other’s shoulders and say: ‘I have complete trust in you, and I have complete trust in myself’
Footage filmed by UnHerd shows the protestors meeting at an Airbnb ‘safehouse’ off Edgware Road one day before causing rush-hour chaos in the capital
At one point the group burst into laughter as organiser Louise Lancaster 9above), who quit her job as a teacher to campaign, says: ‘The heating seems to be impossible to turn off’
Introducing himself to the group, Biff from Canterbury says: ‘I’m prepared to lose my liberty, lose my home that I love, not see my family, have everything taken away by the government.’
Judy, an 82-year-old from South Wales who has been arrested four times in just over a year, adds: ‘I’ve been around longer than other people to pollute this planet, and you know, to contribute to the state we’re in.
‘But I also remember what the world was like when I was young and what the countryside was like, what it was like to travel and the beautiful places and the wildlife, which is all being destroyed by what we’re doing.
‘And it’s not necessary. It doesn’t have to be that way.’
David, who is retired, also says: ‘Anybody who understands this problem now, and does not begin to act, not write letters to their legislator or MP, get out into the streets, make themselves known and tell the Government this is unacceptable, and join with others around the world, they will be in a state of complicity.
‘They’ll just be observing the end of humanity. And knowing that it was coming.’
The video also shows the activists disrupting traffic early the next day by sitting in front of cars on Southwark Bridge while holding up a banner.
At one point, an activist says: ‘The police have been very good. They probably won’t thank me for saying they’ve been helpful but they have been, they’ve been great.’
They are eventually arrested and taken away in police vans.
Earlier this week, Insulate Britain activists switched up their protest tactics by walking towards oncoming traffic on the M25 in a separate protest.
Introducing themselves to the group, Biff (above) says: ‘I’m prepared to lose my liberty, lose my home that I love, not see my family, have everything taken away by the government’
Judy, an 82-year-old from South Wales, adds: ‘I remember what the world was like when I was young and what the countryside was like’
David, who is retired, says those who understand the issue and do not begin to act will ‘just be observing the end of humanity’
The group said the decision to stop sitting in the middle of roads to block vehicles had been made following ‘feedback’ that many drivers were frustrated by their actions.
Demonstrations took place in both Essex and Hertfordshire, with around 20 arrests made on Friday.
At around 8.30am protesters briefly entered the carriageway near junction 28 and 29 of the motorway, intending to walk down the white lines marking traffic lanes.
But Essex Police said officers arrived at the scene ‘swiftly’ and 10 activists were removed from the road and arrested, with both carriageways reopening within 30 minutes.
Demonstrators later began walking along the white lines of the motorway at Junctions 21 and 22.
The new tactics were deployed for the group’s 17th day of action, the last of which saw protesters have ink thrown in their faces by angry motorists.
A spokesperson for the group said safety was ‘paramount’ and the protests would not have proceeded if cars did not slow down sufficiently.
The video also shows the activists disrupting traffic early the next day by sitting in front of cars on Southwark Bridge while holding up a banner
The group on Southwark Bridge. The clip’s release follows the eco-zealots bringing parts of central London to a standstill on Monday
He said prior to the protest: ‘The intention is to enter the carriageway and walk towards the oncoming traffic along the white lines.
‘If cars don’t slow down and are hurtling along at full speed then we will be on the hard shoulder wearing our hi-vis with the banners.
‘We would hope that it slows down anyway. We’ve had feedback that people are frustrated that they spent time in traffic queues.
‘This is like a rolling traffic queue, so we’ll move, and once they get to the front they will be able to move on.
‘We’re not planning to stop traffic but it could slow down to five miles an hour.’
Insulate Britain acknowledged it is knowingly breaching a High Court injunction that aims to prevent its disruptive activities.
Those who break the injunctions could be found in contempt of court and face a maximum penalty of two years in prison or an unlimited fine.
Activists have now blocked roads on 17 days since September 13, causing misery for drivers stuck in long queues of traffic.
Following Friday’s demonstration, Essex Police Chief Inspector Lee Devall said: ‘Not only will incidents of this nature be frustrating for road users trying to reach their destination, walking into fast moving traffic is extremely dangerous.
‘I’d like to thank road users today for their patience and understanding.
‘You’ve helped us to clear the area quickly, to keep people safe, minimise disruption, and keep Essex moving. We will continue to deal with these incidents robustly.’
View the full 20-minute film on YouTube here.
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