Just Stop Oil is preparing for one final show of defiance in central London this weekend, as the environmental group draws a line under its large-scale protest actions.
The activists, known for their disruptive demonstrations, have vowed to “hang up the hi-vis” after three years of high-profile campaigning against government inaction on climate change.
Final March to Parliament
On Saturday, 26 April, supporters of Just Stop Oil will gather at St James’s Park, near Parliament Square, from midday. The event is set to culminate in what organisers have promised will be a “blaze of orange,” marking the group’s last major mobilisation.
The protest falls just one day before the London Marathon, which is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of people into the capital.
Last month, Just Stop Oil announced it would cease direct action protests. The group suggested it could be succeeded by a more militant organisation, Youth Demand, which may step into the spotlight this summer.
Coordinator Hannah Hunt explained: “Three years after bursting on the scene in a blaze of orange, at the end of April the Just Stop Oil campaign will be hanging up the hi-vis.”
She continued: “Just Stop Oil’s demand to end new oil and gas is now government policy, making us one of the most successful civil resistance campaigns in recent history. We’ve made fossil-fuel licensing front page news and kept over 4.4bn barrels of oil in the ground, while courts have ruled new oil and gas unlawful.”
“But it’s time to change. We are heading for 2 °C of global heating in the coming decade, resulting in billions being killed, mass civil unrest and social collapse. Meanwhile, we are seeing corporations and billionaires buying political power and using it to punch down on the weak and the vulnerable.”
A Shift in Tactics
Sources speaking to The Guardian hinted that while Just Stop Oil’s large public protests are ending, the movement itself is not disappearing.
Instead, future efforts are expected to take place “in the courts and in the prisons,” moving away from the notorious sit-downs, glue-ins, and headline-grabbing acts such as the soup attack on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. The Metropolitan Police have yet to comment on the planned demonstration.
What to Expect
- Date: Saturday, 26 April
- Time: Midday
- Location: St James’s Park, Westminster, London
- Action: March to Parliament Square
Large crowds are expected, and given the proximity to the London Marathon, significant disruption in central London cannot be ruled out.
As Just Stop Oil prepares to step away from the streets, its impact on the climate movement — and on the political landscape — remains undeniable. Whether their legacy inspires new waves of action through groups like Youth Demand remains to be seen. One thing is clear: the debate over fossil fuels and climate change is far from over.
