A Just Stop Oil spokesman has controversially claimed that protests involving smashing windows and other property damage are “non-violent”.
In an exchange with Inaya Folarin Iman and Tom Harwood on GB News, Oliver Clegg said: “Everything that we do is peaceful and completely non-violent, and we’re trained in it.”
Asked if smashing windows and defacing artwork is non-violent, he said: “Well, yeah, of course, no one has ever been harmed, in either of those. And in fact, the paintings weren’t even damaged. They’re behind the glass.”
Asked if it was peaceful to smash windows, he said: “Yes, no one was harmed.”
Tom Harwood continued: “So it’s a peaceful act to damage property. It’s a peaceful act as long as no individual was harmed. By that logic, blowing up a bridge, if no one was on it, would be a peaceful act.”
Mr Clegg responded: “You’re being facetious and going into these ludicrous, hypothetical situations. No, we haven’t blown up a bridge.
“This very minute, right at this very minute, Tom, there are 30 million people in Pakistan who have been made homeless by catastrophic flooding. Just last summer, there was 40-degree heat in the UK, that is unheard of.
“And 1,600 people died, 60 families lost their homes. Those aren’t hypothetical. That’s not being facetious. That is a world that we’re living in.”
Pressed again on whether the group was non-violent, Mr Clegg said: “Yeah, Tom, have you heard of the dictionary? Non-violent, we are not hurting anybody.”
He added: “Actions are never going to be violent. We are committed to non-violence. But, yeah, you’re saying that our protests are getting more extreme, but that is just a symptom of the fact that the climate crisis is getting more and more extreme.
“I mean, in your lifetime, did you ever see 40 degrees in the UK? It’s never happened before, it’s unheard of and that’s just in 2022.
“Imagine what it’s going to be like next year. Imagine what it’s going to be like by 2050. We do not have time to wait here. I’m 19 years old. Just imagine what the rest of my life is going to be like.”
