GB News’ Patrick Christys found himself in a fiery exchange with a spokesperson from Just Stop Oil, following the group’s action yesterday attempting to block migrants from entering the Bibby Stockholm barge.
Protesters clad in the group’s traditional orange gear attempted to block coaches and cars carrying unhoused migrants towards the barge. This proved unsuccessful as drivers continued to pass, carefully but undeterred.
Spokesperson for the action group Emma Brown joined Patrick for ‘The Clash’ on Thursday’s GB News Tonight, to discuss what the protesters hoped to achieve and what their motives were.
Patrick kicked off the debate by asking: “Do you not think that it was all a little bit pathetic, that?”
Patrick Christys clashes with Just Stop Oil spokesperson Emma Brown
GB News
“I don't think it's pathetic to try and put yourself against harm's way,” Replied Emma. “This coach load of people are being put onto a barge which has been called, by the Fire Brigades Union, potentially a floating Grenfell. I think it's it's perfectly right to try and take direct action to stop that happening.”
Patrick then questioned why this was a concern for Just Stop Oil at all, with the group usually focusing their efforts on drawing attention to the effects of climate change.
“If we continue extracting and burning fossil fuels, opening 100 new oil and and gas fields, we are contributing to destroying people's homelands, to destroying areas which are already suffering,” said Emma. “If we keep burning fossil fuels, those areas are going to become increasingly difficult to live in.”
“Do you understand what happens when we burn fossil fuels in terms of the effects of that, Patrick? I live in Scotland and right now we've got a warning, a red weather warning. That's a a threat to health.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
23 supporters of Just Stop Oil blocked the only road heading to the bargeTwitterPatrick chimed in, “It’s a storm in Scotland Emma. It's windy in Scotland is what you're telling me. It's coming up to November and it’s a bit windy and rainy in Scotland, yeah?”
The debate then moved back to concerns about the ongoing migrant crisis, with Patrick again asking, “Why are Just Stop Oil getting involved with that? Why don't you then go and campaign in places where there are rampant human rights abuses?”
Emma replied: “They are coming here to have their asylum claims registered and while they are doing so, they should be in humane conditions, not being put on a prison boat. This is how we start leaning towards concentration camps.”
Patrick interrupted, appearing outraged by the remark: “This is where you lose people, Emma! How dare you come out and start talking about concentration camps in Britain?
The Bibby Stockholm barge set to house 500 single male migrants in DorsetPA“There is nothing similar to housing people in a boat that has already housed a load of people, either military people or who those work in deep sea rigs or things like that. There is no comparison between that and Auschwitz. How dare you make that comparison?!”
Emma disputed that she had compared conditions to those in the holocaust, insisting a concentration camp “means forcing people into small cramped conditions where they don't have any contact with the outside world.”
“But they do have contact with the outside world, Emma,” Patrick hit back. “They can get outside anytime they like. They don't even have a permanent time restriction. They can get on a tax payer funded bus into the local town!”
Finally, as the conversation began to draw to a close, Emma made Just Stop Oil’s position clear: “What we're saying is we need direct action to stop the government imposing these cruel policies because we are all human beings. If my child's life was in danger, if my life was in danger, I would want safe sanctuary and I would want a decent place to live and to be allowed to work and to be allowed to be free. And so would you.”
