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Anti-oil activist tells colleagues their movement is too 'white' and 'middle-class' and needs to work with more Muslims
Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images

Anti-oil activist tells colleagues their movement is too 'white' and 'middle-class' and needs to work with more Muslims

An activist from the group Just Stop Oil told informed colleagues during a meeting that the movement needed to shift away from being seen as a white, middle-class group of activists and focus more on being inclusive to all.

The activist, known only as Olive, has been pictured in anti-oil protests including when the group halted traffic on the London Bridge in June 2023.

A reporter infiltrated the eco-group's weekly strategy discussion over meeting software Zoom, where the team of environmentalists opined about its public image.

Olive reportedly made pleas to the meeting's 50 attendees, who were reportedly taken aback when she said the group needed to push for more diversity.

"One of our key aims in this shift is to break out of this white, middle-class, student bubble that a lot of the time we find ourselves in," she declared. She added that the group needed to make their "spaces and actions something that all young people want to be a part of."

The leader, said to be in her 20s, stated that the group was creating a new youth division called Youth Demand, with a focus to increasingly target the rich. In addition to this plan, another element of the group's approach would be to work with more Muslim groups, including a group called Palestine Action.

It was also revealed by the journalist that the group planned to join forces with the pro-Palestinian activists to cause a significant disruption in central London, England, the Daily Mail reported.

"This month, we're doing high-profile action to launch our campaign into the headlines."

"In April, from 7th to 11th, young people from across the country are coming together to take action in London. They're going to be targeting individuals and institutions who are acting that genocide is acceptable. We're going to show that we're on to them and they cannot hide their crimes," the activist said in reference to the Israel-Palestine war.

The undercover journalist said the anti-oil and Palestinian groups planned to meet for a "mass civil disobedience action" in London to argue that energy companies are fueling the Israeli military and, as such, displacing and killing Palestinians.

The Just Stop Oil group has effectively made disrupting public events and day-to-day traffic its primary form of protest. June and July 2023 were busy summer months for the activists, with showcases of disruptive behavior boiling over into reactions from the public.

Along with the aforementioned bridge protest, June 2023 saw activists doused with a bucket of water from a balcony as they slow-walked down a busy road.

In mid-July 2023, a protester was dragged away after disrupting a university's graduation ceremony with orange paint. Just Stop Oil frequently has spread orange paint at public events, which typically causes minor disruptions in activities and only annoys onlookers, with any environment-related messaging going by the wayside.

About a week later, the activists were met by counterprotesters while again trying to block a busy English road. The counter-demonstrators surrounded the anti-oil activists wearing shirts that read "Just Stop Pissing Everyone Off."

It was unclear if the group was involved with Just Stop Oil, given the alleged ease with which they willingly ended their resistance. Metro UK cited a Twitter user who claimed the counterprotest was "a stunt to try and make them seem reasonable."

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Andrew Chapados

Andrew Chapados

Andrew Chapados is a writer focusing on sports, culture, entertainment, gaming, and U.S. politics. The podcaster and former radio-broadcaster also served in the Canadian Armed Forces, which he confirms actually does exist.

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