PROTESTERS have thrown red paint over the front of the UK Government’s offices in Edinburgh.
The front entrance to Queen Elizabeth House was covered in red paint as activists held up banners saying “Just Stop Oil” and “blood on your hands”.
Earlier on Thursday a demonstration against the Jackdaw gas field had been held outside the building.
Ongoing now - Protestors from Just Stop Oil have thrown red paint over the entrance of the UK Government’s offices in Edinburgh, in protest against the Jackdaw gas field. pic.twitter.com/9WFuPjJfiu
— Neil Pooran (@neilpooran) June 2, 2022
The UK Government announced the North Sea field in the waters east of Aberdeen would go ahead on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday, “stop Jackdaw” demonstrators unfurled a banner reading “clean gas is a dirty lie” outside Queen Elizabeth House near Waverley Station.
Several dozen chanted and listened to speeches during the protest, calling for the new field to be stopped.
The campaign hopes to continue activism around the Cambo oil field to the west of Shetland, after the companies behind the development put it on pause earlier this year.
Announcing the decision on Wednesday, Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the Government was “turbocharging” renewables, adding: “Let’s source more of the gas we need from British waters to protect energy security”.
READ MORE: Jackdaw gas field: Greens condemn 'imminent' approval of North Sea project
Stop Jackdaw spokesman Maciej Walczuk, 19, said claims the new field would help with the energy crisis were a “lie”.
The engineering student said: “The international agencies, the United Nations and basically all scientists agree that we cannot allow for new oil and gas investment.”
New fields such as Jackdaw would not bring down gas bills, he said.
He continued: “What the Stop Cambo campaign really showed us is organising in people’s communities and creating public pressure can work.
“It worked with Cambo, we managed to get the UK Government and the companies to move away from that project.
“So what we’re really trying to do is not to see today as a day of failure but really get ourselves even more excited to fight against the UK Government.”
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