M25 traffic: Journalist arrests ‘wrong’ during protests, police commissioner says
A photographer, film-maker and LBC reporter covering Just Stop Oil protests were taken into custody this week
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A police commissioner has admitted officers “got it wrong” by arresting members of the press covering Just Stop Oil protesters on the M25.
A photographer, film-maker and LBC reporter were all taken into custody by Hertfordshire Police this week.
David Lloyd, the police and crime commissioner for the force, told LBC: “I am certain that there was no reason to arrest them such as you have given. As I said at the outset I think we got it wrong.”
Meanwhile Just Stop Oil returned to overhead gantries along the M25 on Thursday for the fourth day in a row.
The climate group once again shut down roads and caused delays along the motorway to call for an end to all new oil and gas. Traffic was brought to a standstill near Heathrow in the morning.
The Metropolitan, Surrey and Essex Police all arrested individuals over the action on Thursday.
Roads around Junction 25 and 27 reopen
Roads have now opened up between Junctions 25 and 27:
Visually-impaired M25 activist ‘terrified’
A Just Stop Oil protester says she is visually impaired and “scared of heights” - and is “terrified” protesting from an overhead gantry today.
“I’m doing this because I’m more terrified if we don’t stop new oil and gas, we are on the brink of climate catastrophe,” she says.
Watch here:
Thoughts from people stuck in M25 traffic
Here’s some tweets from people caught up in the M25 disruption today. Some different views...
Just Stop Oil footage from M25 gantry
Just Stop Oil has shared a video from up on one of the M25 gantries:
The group also added:
Arrests from different forces
Here are the police forces on the arrests taking place in their areas.
Essex Police say a woman has been arrested:
Surrey Police made arrests over protests at four different gantries...
Kent Police arrested two:
Sixteen arrested over M25 protest
Sixteen protesters have been arrested on the M25 today, according to the Metropolitan Police:
Closures between Junction 8 and Junction 11
The M25 is closed in both directions between Junction 8 and Junction 11:
What happened on the M25 yesterday?
Just Stop Oil have targeted the M25 for two days in a row.
On Monday, its activists also climbed on gantries to cause disruption during rush hour - including between Junctions 6 and 7 in Surrey and the key Junction 25 in Waltham Cross.
Read up on what happened yesterday:
Just Stop Oil shuts parts of M25 as protesters climb gantries over motorway
‘I’m here because I don’t have a future,’ tearful activist says
Fifteen involved in M25 protest
Just Stop Oil says 15 protesters were involved in the action blocking the M25 today:
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