Just Stop Oil calls off radical "civil resistance"

The British environmental group Just Stop Oil, known for its shocking protests against fossil fuel exploitation, has announced that it will cease such actions by the end of April, AFP reports. Just Stop Oil said in a statement to the press that its original demand - to abandon oil and gas exploitation - had now become government policy, which the group said was a major success. "Just Stop Oil's original demand to abandon oil and gas exploitation is now government policy, making us one of the most successful civil resistance campaigns in recent history," the statement said.

• A new strategy of struggle

Although it is giving up the impact protests, the organization has emphasized that it will continue its activity in the courts, where several of its members are involved in lawsuits related to previous actions. Contacted by AFP, the organization confirmed the end of the radical protests, explaining that it is focusing on "a new project", without providing further details.

• Controversial protests

Just Stop Oil has been involved in numerous protest actions that have attracted public attention. Among the most famous are the sprinkling of tomato soup on the painting "Sunflowers" by Vincent van Gogh, at the National Gallery in London, but also the blocking of major sporting events, such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone and the Wimbledon tennis tournament, as reported by the international press at the time. "So this is the end of soup thrown on Van Gogh paintings, cornstarch thrown on Stonehenge and slow marches in the streets. But it is not the end of trials, electronic monitoring, fines, conditional releases and years in prison," the organization said in the same statement.

• Reactions from the environmental community

Following Just Stop Oil's announcement, Greenpeace took to its social media accounts to praise the organization's work, appreciating the efforts of activists who "paid a heavy price" for their beliefs. "Just Stop Oil will continue to speak the truth in court, defend our political prisoners and denounce oppressive laws against demonstrators in the UK," the environmental movement added.

• Convictions and legal consequences

In early March, British courts, according to the English press, upheld the sentences of ten of the Just Stop Oil activists, including those who splashed soup on the Van Gogh painting. However, the Court of Appeal in London reduced the sentences of six other activists, five of whom had been convicted of planning to block a motorway.