Daring Just Stop Oil Protest Shuts Dartford Crossing for 36 Hours
Morgan Trowland, 39, and fellow activist Marcus, 33, brought chaos to commuters by attaching themselves to the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge masts – more than 200 feet above the River Thames. The iconic toll bridge connecting Essex and Kent has been closed since the early hours of Monday morning.
Activists Cling On High, Disrupting Traffic for 36 Hours
Police arrived on Tuesday with a raised platform to safely reach the pair and engage with them at height. Around 5pm, the protest duo announced the end of their stunt. “We’ve successfully disrupted oil supplies to Kent and the South East for 36 hours,” they said in a statement.
“We are stepping down now, but other supporters of Just Stop Oil will be stepping up day after day, causing disruption and putting their liberty on the line to demand that the government end new oil and gas.”
Both men were then removed and arrested by police. Essex Police confirmed National Highways will decide when the bridge reopens.
Protesters Defend Disruption, Cite Climate Crisis
Speaking from atop the bridge before being brought down, Mr Trowland told Sky News:
“Many people will be angry about this, and I understand that anger. However, at other times in history, the Suffragettes were widely despised by the majority of the population.”
“Martin Luther King was reviled in America in the early 1960s – sometimes people despise what must follow.”
Fellow protester Marcus added: “Only direct action will now help us reach the social tipping point we so desperately need.” The duo asked commuters to empathise with the 33 million Pakistanis displaced by climate-induced floods this summer.
“I’m not sorry for trying to protect my people’s land, I’m not sorry,” said Trowland.
Just Stop Oil Vows More Chaos Until Government Bows to Demands
Just Stop Oil promised to keep up “nonviolent civil disobedience” through autumn and winter. Their goal: to force the government to revoke newly granted oil and gas licences, which they call “frankly a death sentence.”
The Dartford Crossing remains shut to traffic following the protest stunt. Essex Police said officers were called at 3.50am on Monday when the two climbed the bridge.
Mr Trowland admitted the climb was terrifying. “I almost bottled it at the first step. It was terrifying getting onto the cable,” he said.
Commuters across Kent and Essex faced hours of delays as a result of the high-risk protest.
