‘Why Aren’t You at Work?’ Furious Business Owners and Drivers Drag Eco-Extremist Protesters off Road

Insulate Britain protest on M25 near Dartford Crossing, Wednesday October 13th, 2021 (Phot
Insulate Britain
Victoria Friedman

Furious business owners and members of the public dragged eco-extremists protesters off the road on Wednesday during more disruptive demonstrations by Extinction Rebellion offshoot Insulate Britain.

The protest by the group, which largely ignores court injunctions to stop blocking Britain’s roads, occurred on Wednesday morning in the middle of the slip road off of Junction 31 of the M25 at Thurrock, Essex, near the major Dartford Crossing which crosses the River Thames.

Footage of the protest was taken by reporters from radio station LBC, with journalist Rachael Venables claiming to see “kicking and punches being thrown” between drivers and protesters, saying it was turning “violent”. Ms Venables said that it took only around 20 Insulate Britain activists to block the crucial junction that feeds through towards Purfleet docks.

One frustrated lorry driver is seen coming down from his cab to pull protesters away before getting back in his vehicle, slowly inching forward, while angry motorists around him beeped their horns at the Insulate Britain activists. Other members of the public were then seen helping to clear the protesters away from the lorry as the vehicle made slow progress forward, with a continued process of around six members of the public pulling protesters out of the way before other activists take a fresh spot on the tarmac just a few feet ahead.

While at a spot nearby the industrial park, business owners were also seen dragging another group of activists off the road.

One businessman, who became frustrated with trying to initially reason with the protesters, asked them: “Why aren’t you at work? Why are you stopping people from getting to [expletive] work?”

“My business is on its knees!” said another.

At another junction of the road, two drivers got out of their cars to confront the protesters, with one woman dressed for work yelling at the activists as she dragged one away from the front of her car.

“This is stupidity!” said the other driver.

During the civilian attempts to clear the road, police had still not arrived on the scene, though said they arrived five minutes after reports of the protests.

An Essex Police spokesman later told The Telegraph: “We’re on scene and have made arrests following reports of people blocking the slip road of the M25 at J31 in Thurrock.

“We were called at 8.26 a.m. and officers were on scene within five minutes. We’re trying to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible.”

Brexit leader and journalist Nigel Farage last week predicted that unless police and authorities got to grips with the protests, who mostly target routes used by businesses and average people going about their day, Britons would take the law into their own hands, warning: “Unless our government gets a grip on this, arrest these people, put them in prison, then I fear it’s going to turn quite nasty on the streets.”

Farage also said he believes the activities of Insulate Britain cross the threshold to be considered terroristic, saying: “It isn’t just eco-alarmism… When I saw the founder of Extinction Rebellion saying that he would stop an ambulance with a flashing light going to hospital, I now think these people have moved into the realms of being terrorists.

“They are prepared to risk the lives of other people just because they have this hysterical view that unless we go back and live in caves, billions of people are going to die.”

Follow Breitbart London on Facebook: Breitbart London

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.