Just Stop Oil protesters disrupt London Pride over ‘high-polluting’ sponsors

Just Stop Oil protesters have disrupted London’s Pride march in protest over the parade accepting sponsorship money from “high-polluting industries”.

A number of protesters have been arrested after blocking the road in front of a Coca-Cola truck.

The Metropolitan Police said that protesters sat in the middle of the road on Piccadilly at 1.30pm, causing the parade to stop.

After 16 minutes, police arrested seven protesters for public nuisance offences and the parade continued again one minute later.

Video posted online showed officers picking up protesters and carrying them away.

Just Stop Oil has previously warned it would take action as it called on organisers of the major event to ban floats from “high-polluting” sponsors and to condemn new oil, gas and coal.

One witness said that the activists spoiled the fun for thousands of people.

Neil, 49, from East London, was watching the parade when the protesters ran out in front of him and blocked the Coca-Cola truck.

“There was about eight of them I think,” he said.

“Eight people spoiling fun for thousands of people.”

He added that the group did it for the “attention”.

“They want the attention don’t they?” he said.

“And until they get the attention they’ll sit themselves down.”

In a statement, LGBT+ members of the group said: “These partnerships embarrass the LGBTQ+ community at a time when much of the cultural world is rejecting ties to these toxic industries.”

LGBT+ people are “suffering first” in the “accelerating social breakdown” caused by climate change, they added.

“Pride was born from protest,” the statement continued.

“It speaks to how far we’ve come as a community that high-polluting industries and the banks that fund them now see Pride as a useful vehicle for sanitising their reputations, waving rainbow flags in one hand whilst accelerating social collapse with the other.”

Just Stop Oil said earlier on Saturday: “If London Pride fails to take these basic steps necessary to protect our community, we will have to consider potential escalations which may result in the disruption of Pride.

“We will also call for the entire LGBTQ+ community to join us in protest and boycott – for the safety of LGBTQ+ people everywhere.”