Man interrupts Just Stop Oil protest, throwing activist to the ground

The Metropolitan Police have urged the public not to intervene if protestors do block the road

Just Stop Oil protesters have been slow marching in front of traffic in central London (Luke O’Reilly/PA) (PA Wire)

A Just Stop Oil protestor has been thrown to the ground by a member of the public during a protest in central London, footage shared to social media shows.

A video shows a man approaching the group of campaigners, marching slowly with banners on Mansell Street – close to the Tower of London - on Friday morning.

He snatches two banners from two separate members, scrunching them up in his hand before approaching one who appears to be filming. He then grabs their smartphone and throws it to the ground.

The man then moves to remove more banners from the group, discarding them onto the pavement. He shoves one protestor to the ground, attempting to push others off and away from the road as a black car and a red bus can be seen driving slowly behind the scene.

Meanwhile, the woman picks herself up and goes to sit on the pavement.

He then returns to the campaigner who has continued filming, grabbing their phone out of their hand for a second time and throwing it out onto the road.

The sound of a car horn can be heard in the background throughout.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police urged the public not to intervene if protestors do block the road, asking that they wait for police officers to arrive.

“The Met and City of London Police are aware of an incident shown on social media in which a member of the public appears to have an altercation with Just Stop Oil protesters on Mansell Street E1 this morning, Friday, 19 May, shortly before the arrival of police”, a Met police spokesperson told The Independent.

“At this stage, we are not aware that any allegations have been made in regard to this matter, however, at this stage we are in contact with the organisers of the demonstration.

“We completely understand the frustration and anger of London’s communities when protesters walk slowly in the roads. We urge people not to intervene and to wait for the arrival of police, who will attend the scene promptly. We thank people for their patience.”