Just Stop Oil protesters arrested after blocking The Mall outside Buckingham Palace in London

Scottish environmental activists blocked off The Mall outside Buckingham Palace on Monday, in protest against new fossil fuel licenses.

Around 30 Just Stop Oil activists in high-visibility vests sat on the road holding banners, with some having glued themselves to the tarmac.

The protestors, who travelled from Scotland, said they felt the need to act after the UK Government gave its backing to an expansion of oil and gas operations in the North Sea.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) is expected to undertake a new round of oil and gas licensing this month.

🚨 BREAKING: 30 Just Stop Oil supporters block the Mall 🚨

At 8:45 this morning, 30 supporters of Just Stop Oil established a roadblock on the Mall, stopping traffic in either direction. They are sitting in the road, and some have glued themselves to the tarmac#CivilResistance pic.twitter.com/oUyQMu7GvT
— Just Stop Oil ⚖️💀🛢 (@JustStop_Oil) October 10, 2022

Taking to social media, the group said: “This is the moment to come together & resist — we are not prepared to watch while the Government plans for countless millions to die & destroys everything we love.

“We are going to stop new oil whether those in power agree or not. We are not asking, we are going to make it happen.”

The protesters received a mixed reaction from passers-by, with one taxi driver shouting: “F****** load of w******. Go and get a real f****** job.”

A Scottish man on a bicycle gave words of support, telling them: “Go on the protesters, you’re doing great work. Stay strong.”

Police began to arrest the protesters after they refused to heed warnings to move before the Changing of the Guard.

We are aware of an ongoing protest taking place in The Mall, W1 – officers are on scene and are working to remove the protesters.

Part of the road remains closed.

We will update with further details.
— Metropolitan Police Events (@MetPoliceEvents) October 10, 2022

The first two left the road of their own volition and were taken to a police van while others were physically lifted by officers to different vans.

Specialist officers used plastic syringes to debond the protesters who had glued themselves to the tarmac.

Officers at the scene told the PA News Agency they made 25 arrests in total.

The disruption lasted for two hours and fifteen minutes, and it took police over an hour to make an arrest.

A Just Stop Oil activist at the scene who did not block the road said to the final protesters as they were lifted into the vans: “You’ve done really well. Solidarity.”