October 5, 2023
“Five Arrested as ‘Les Mis’ London Performance Disrupted By ‘Just Stop Oil’ Protestors!
Five people were arrested in London this week after members of the environmental protest group "Just Stop Oil" disrupted a performance of Les Miserables.
The incident occurred during a matinee performance of the famous stage show at the Queens Theatre in London's West End on Tuesday afternoon. According to reports, an estimated 15 environmental activists from the Just Stop Oil group stormed the stage during the musical's iconic "One Day more" song, holding banners and shouting "Climate disaster, no more!"
The police were called and, after a lengthy period of time, five protesters were eventually arrested for a suspected public order offence. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said that officers had dealt with the incident and that five people are currently in custody.
The theatre had to cancel the following matinee performance of the show as a result of the disturbance, and patrons were advised to seek refunds from their ticket agents. The evening performance eventually went ahead with extra security on hand.
Just Stop Oil is an environmental pressure group that is campaigning to stop oil extraction in the UK and around the world. They support a transition to renewable and clean energy sources and have been protesting against the continued extraction of oil for the past several years.
As of yet, Just Stop Oil has not made an official statement regarding the incident in the Queen's Theatre, although they did post a statement on their website which said that the protest was to raise awareness of the risks posed by continued extraction.
The five activists remain in police custody and are to appear in court at a later date. It remains to be seen what punishment, if any, will be handed down. In the meantime, it looks like the protests are only going to continue as the group looks to raise awareness of the dangers of oil extraction.