A Just Stop Oil protester has explained why she joined the movement and what it's really like to be a part of a demonstration.
Helen Shaw, 23, joined JSO back in June after finishing her degree in Environmental Sciences at Lancaster University. Since then, Helen made the trip down to London at the start of October to take part in a month of activism and protests organised by JSO.
While blocking a road leading to Parliament Square in Westminster, Helen and around 50 other protesters were arrested. However, she says it was worth it to bring further media attention to the ongoing climate crisis and the government's investments in fossil fuels.
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Helen said: "I joined JSO because the government at the moment have set the country on this track of burning more and more fossil fuels, which is incredibly dangerous. We signed the Paris agreement, which was a pledge to get Britain to zero emissions by 2050, which is too late anyway, but we're nowhere near hitting that target.
"I studied environmental sciences, and a lot of what I learnt from that degree was that constantly striving for economic gain has broken the planet. It has left some parts of the world behind and put us in a really dangerous position."
JSO have come under fire for some of the protesting methods their members have used. But Helen argues that those are the only option for the movement.
She said: "I've had so many conversations with people recently who know I'm a member who have asked me about the protests and how things like throwing soup on a painting will help. But the whole point is that that got the conversation going, it's made people take notice.
"JSO have been blocking oil pipelines with peaceful protests for months now, but that hasn't garnered any media attention at all. Moves like this, where no one has been harmed and the painting hasn't been damaged get people talking about the climate crisis and questioning the government.
"The government should be swayed by public opinion, so if we can grab the attention of the public and use that as an opportunity to show people the situation we're in and how to stop it then that should change things."
Helen was arrested while blocking a road at the start of October. She is currently on bail and may have to return to London next month.
She said: "We blocked a road, and the position I was in was near the pavement on the lane used by emergency vehicles, so I wasn't glued to the road, but others in my group were. The police arrived almost immediately, and we had some aggression from members of the public.
"There have been cases where other JSO members have been carried off the pavement by angry drivers rather than the police. We were arrested with around 50 other members, so we ended up needing to be taken to a police station in Barking because the other ones closer by were full.
"Under the new policing act, they took our fingerprints and DNA samples like saliva to check against the system for other crimes, which felt quite invasive and frightening even when you know you've done nothing wrong. I didn't feel too scared because there were other people in the group who had been arrested before.
"A lot of JSO members are retired, and are protesting because they want their children and grandchildren to have a secure future. Being retired they are able to be more free with their time and don't have commitments like jobs. I was quite lucky that I was able to go down when I did."
Helen added: "I know some people won't agree with our methods, but if they have any other ideas on how to get our message across and get people's attention, we would love for them to join and share those ideas. Being part of this movement has made me so much more hopeful for the future."
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