Patrick Christys: Insulate Britain are putting lives and livelihoods at risk

Do Insulate Britain have blood on their hands? And the police as well?

Yesterday loads of eco-warriors yet again caused mass disruption as they blocked the M25. Apparently they even called the police in advance and warned them that they were about to block the road. And instead of stopping them, the police apparently let them do it and then really hammered it home when a police officer stood in front of them and said: ‘If any of you are in any discomfort or need anything then let me know.’

Are you taking the mick? What about the discomfort to all the law abiding citizens on the M25 who had their commute to work ruined because of these inconsiderate pillocks? They were sat there for hours, and while the police were busy not removing them a pile up happened nearby.

A woman had to be airlifted to hospital. The police were busy considering the feelings of the people who were bringing an arterial motorway to a total standstill while four cars ploughed into the back of each other, leaving a woman with serious injuries.

Caught up in the delays was an NHS nurse returning home from a night shift; a grandmother who was on her way to collect her grandchild after their mother had gone into labour; and an angry cafe owner who said he had lost business. The demonstrators responded to his claim by each giving him £10 to make up for his financial loss, which he refused to take.

These are the people our police should be prioritising. The nurses, the grandparents, the business owners. The normal, ordinary people who just want to be able to go about their business and who expect the police to provide law and order.

In this case, it looks a lot like the police were complicit in lawlessness and disorder. The police issued a statement saying they can’t remove people who have glued themselves to a road without using specialist equipment…can’t you?

If someone freely chooses to glue themselves to a motorway, puts lives at risk, damages the economy and causes mass disruption, then whose fault is it if they lose the skin off the palm of their hand? It’s the equivalent of pouring boiling water over yourself and then blaming the kettle for the fact you got burnt.

It shouldn’t be down to members of the public to get out of their cars and remonstrate with nutters in the middle of a motorway, people have a right to expect that the police will deal with that situation.

For a group of people who claim to care deeply about the value of human life, Insulate Britain don’t seem to realise that they’re actually putting lives, and livelihoods, at risk. And for a group of people who claim to enforce law and order, the police don’t seem to realise that it looks as though they’re prioritising criminals over law abiding citizens.