08 November 2023 , 11:09
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Just Stop Oil have hit out at the Metropolitan Police after it was claimed activists had blocked an ambulance while protesting on Waterloo Bridge in London.
As many as 50 members of the environmental group staged a demonstration on the bridge on Wednesday, with several seen being dragged away by police officers.
The force said that an ambulance responding to a call had been trapped on the bridge due to the disruption - but this has been denied by Just Stop Oil, who say they have never stopped emergency vehicles.
The group posted on X (formerly Twitter) today to claim that the blocked ambulance was instead the police's fault, and wrote: "The Met Police appear to be blocking an ambulance on Waterloo Bridge so they can blame it on a protest march going in the other direction."
Just Stop Oil added that they "will always move out of the road for emergency vehicles showing blue lights". Spokesperson Dr Patrick Hart meanwhile claimed to GB News that previous reports of blocked ambulances had never been proven, and said: "Listen to what I've got to say. We asked for a freedom of information request to the Ambulance Service and no emergency ambulance has ever been delayed by Just Stop Oil.
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"What I want to say to you is: I'm sat here in front of you. I'm a family doctor. I've been a family doctor now for five years and a doctor for nearly 14 years. All I've done up until becoming a supporter of Just Stop Oil is go to work and look after families and their children. Am I really that scary? Or maybe am I just a normal person?"
A photograph shared by the Metropolitan Police on social media earlier read: "This is some of the congestion which JSO are causing on Waterloo Bridge. One of the vehicles is an ambulance on blue lights which is not able to get past. Officers are continually telling the activists to move out the road so it can pass while making arrests." A total of 44 Just Stop Oil activists were arrested following a day of protest on Monday, and the police confirmed that two people were detained for criminal damage at the National Gallery.
It comes amid reports from LBC that the group could also be planning demonstrations in London on Armistice Day this Saturday - adding to the potential headache for the Met as discussions continue over a planned mass pro-Palestine protest scheduled for the same day. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said on Wednesday that the remembrance events taking place this weekend "are of great significance" and "importance to our nation", and that the force will do "everything in our power to ensure they pass without disruption."