Just Stop Oil plans ‘go slow’ march in Ipswich city centre

Supporters of Just Stop Oil are planning a ‘go slow’ march in a Suffolk town's city centre this weekend.

The group will meet at 10am on Saturday, March 18, outside Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, and are demanding that the government stops all new UK oil and gas projects.

It will be the first such action by Just Stop Oil in Suffolk, following a march in Norwich in February which opened the door for local supporters to get involved.

Just Stop Oil supporters adopted the new tactic of slowing traffic to a crawling pace by marching slowly along roads across London in December.

The actions in the east of England are being carried out in defiance of the Prime Minister’s recent threat to crack down on the ‘go slow’ marches, which are a completely legal form of protest. Further similar actions are planned across the region over the coming months.

Pippa, a 51-year-old retired GP who will be attending the march, said: “I am marching with JSO today because I’m afraid for my kids’ future.

"I’m so angry with this government for ignoring science, and putting profit before people and my family. The clock is ticking and we’re so close to unrecoverable tipping points for our planet."

"People in this country are in fuel poverty, and despite having solutions for cheaper, clean energy there is little movement towards a renewables revolution. The government continues to subsidise the fossil fuel industry by £11 billion a year, and have failed to meaningfully tax their recent outrageous profits.

"All the while people are dying across the world from the effects of climate change. It’s criminal.”

Rachel Bosler, a 27-year-old PhD Student from Colchester who is also attending the march, said: “In East Anglia we are still officially in a drought because of an incredibly dry winter.

"This is likely to have a serious impact on the agriculture this region relies on and overall food scarcity. We are all at risk and I’m terrified of what lies ahead."