Haringey resident charged after Just Stop Oil protest

Christine Kelly is one of 54 people charged after a protest on Wednesday, reports Miriam Balanescu

A Haringey resident has been charged following a Just Stop Oil protest earlier this week.

Metropolitan Police officers were called at 9.40am on Wednesday, 1st November to reports of protesters blocking Earl’s Court Road, near to the junction with Cromwell Road.

Haringey resident Christine Kelly, 65, and 36 others were arrested.

Shortly after, Christine was charged with breaching Section 7 of the Public Order Act. The newly introduced legislation means police officers can make arrests if a ‘protester intentionally or recklessly interferes with the use or operation of any key national infrastructure’.

23 people have been charged following the protest and were due to appear in court on Thursday, 2nd November.

13 other people who were arrested have been bailed pending further enquiries.

98 people in total have been arrested in connection with Just Stop Oil protests over the past week (with 54 charged) since protests began on 30th October.

Commander Kyle Gordon said: “This is an extremely busy time for officers across London who are providing reassurance to communities following the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“It’s unacceptable that we are having to remove officers, who are carrying out vital work in their communities at a time where there is a large number of hate crime being reported to us, to police Just Stop Oil.

“We also know the majority of the public has reached their tolerance with Just Stop Oil, which on occasion is over-spilling into violence. It’s clear the public has had enough.

“In the UK there is a presumption in favour of protest, however we won’t tolerate unlawful protest which has a negative impact on the lives of Londoners.

“We’ve heard directly from people who’ve been significantly impacted by previous protests, including those who’ve missed hospital appointments, travel for holidays and family occasions.

“We recognise that many people are fed up with disruptive protests but we also have a duty to make sure anyone who wants to protest lawfully can do so.”

The Metropolitan Police added in a separate statement: “We expect protect activity to continue over the coming weeks and officers will be ready to respond to any further disruption.”

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.