Sixteen activists were arrested in a major crackdown on disruption along the M25 after a man climbed an overhead gantry at junction 14 near Heathrow Airport early Tuesday morning.
The incident began at 8:00am when the activist scaled the gantry, forcing the busy motorway to shut down and causing significant traffic gridlock around the airport.
Police officers arrived on the scene within 10 minutes, and by 8:30am the man was arrested and taken to a south London police station. The M25 was reopened by 8:46am, easing the traffic congestion.
The Metropolitan Police, working jointly with Essex, Surrey, and Kent police forces, arrested a total of 16 activists during the operation targeting the disruptive protests.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist commented on the operation, saying, “The Met, in a joint operation with neighbouring police forces, has again responded swiftly and robustly to today’s attempts by Just Stop Oil activists to disrupt the M25.”
He added, “Since October, we’ve used over 11,000 officer shifts policing these protests. That’s officers pulled away from tackling serious crime like knife offences, burglaries, and safeguarding.”
“We’re determined to bring those causing significant disruption to justice and will work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and courts to ensure they face the consequences,” said Assistant Commissioner Twist.
Originally published by UKNIP.
