Insulate Britain protesters block roads for the 17th time in seven weeks

Insulate Britain protesters have blocked roads in London, Birmingham, and Manchester, marking the group’s 17th action in seven weeks.

Activists trying to block junction 23 of the M25 on Tuesday morning were stopped by police and several people were arrested.

Around 60 activists tried to block roads in defiance of a High Court injunction stopping them from obstructing traffic on the entire “strategic road network” – a total of 4,300 miles of motorways and A roads.

Along with the M25, protestors blocked junction 6 of the M56 in Manchester and the A4400 in Birmingham. While the Manchester and London roads were covered by the injunction against Insulate Britain, the Birmingham road was not.

One M25 protester told LBC today was the seventh time she’d been arrested for being part of Insulate Britain protests.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said he couldn’t “see how this type of protest does anything other than alienate people from the climate cause”, prompting replies asking what the point of a non-disruptive protest would be.

Insulate Britain say 161 people have taken part in their campaign, with a total of 770 arrests – meaning the average activist has been arrested nearly five times.

Nine of the group’s supporters are due in court on November 16 accused of defying the injunction and continuing to protest. Insulate Britain says it expects a further 23 activists to receive summons for contempt of court.

Biff, a 54-year-old retail worker from Canterbury, said: “I too have broken the High Court Injunctions several times and I will continue to do so until this treasonous government, supported by heartless and scared journalists, starts to take credible action to safeguard its citizens’ lives.”

Last month Insulate Britain spokesperson Dr Bing Jones told The Big Issue that members feel their methods are the only way to bring about real change.

“Despite all the efforts by the other groups, particularly more conventional groups like Greenpeace, progress is ridiculously slow and we have very little time,” he said.

“Conventional politics, conventional demonstration, conventional lobbying just are not working. So, we have to be more disruptive.”