Haulage firm owner slams ‘disgusting’ Just Stop Oil protesters who jumped on his HGV, broke the number plates and cut the air line after targeting the wrong vehicle
- A chemical tanker from RD Baker firm was targeted near the Grays Inter Terminal in Essex on Friday morning
- Boss Rhydian David Baker has vowed to take legal action after protestors broke licence plate and cut air line
- Dramatic pictures show the moment Mr Baker’s furious driver yanks the demonstrators off of the vehicle
- Just Stop Oil said they had targeted three oil terminals in Birmingham and Essex as part of new dawn protests
- Do you know the lorry driver in these pictures? Get in contact with me: [email protected]
A haulage firm boss has vowed to take legal action against ‘disgusting’ Just Stop Oil protestors after they mistakenly targeted one of his chemical tankers during a fuel demonstration on Friday – before they were yanked off the vehicle by his furious and fed-up driver.
Rhydian David Baker, owner of RD Baker, says the group surrounded his tanker near the Grays Inter Terminal in Essex, before climbing on top of it, breaking off its number plates and cutting its air line.
Dramatic pictures show the moment an activist hits the concrete after appearing to be grabbed by Mr Baker’s irate lorry driver and falling 3ft backwards.
The vehicle had to be driven back to the firm’s base in Newport, South Wales, costing the business ‘a lot of money.’
Mr Baker told the Telegraph: ‘I don’t understand why they have targeted my company because I don’t transport oil. I’m not happy about it. It is a chemical tanker.
‘My driver called me and said they jumped on top of the tanker and broke off the number plates. And they cut my air line – it is disgusting.’
He said he would be taking legal action, adding: ‘They were vandalising the vehicle. It is criminal damage. Do they think that is right?’
Following weeks of disruption, several oil firms have now secured civil injunctions aimed at stopping environmental protesters from targeting their fuel processing sites – meaning they can be swiftly arrested for causing damage or chaining themselves to vehicles or objects on said sites and their access roads.
Just Stop Oil said: ‘Hauliers are right, it is disgusting that we have to take this level of disruptive action to get media coverage, to get political engagement.
Rhydian David Baker, owner of RD Baker, says the group surrounded his tanker near the Grays Inter Terminal in Essex, before climbing on top of it and breaking off its number plates. (Pictured: Mr Baker’s driver drags protestor off tanker)
Dramatic pictures show the moment the activist hits the concrete after appearing to be grabbed by the irate lorry driver during a protest outside the Grays Inter Terminals in Thurrock, Essex Friday morning
The vehicle had to be driven back to the firm’s base in Newport, South Wales, costing the business ‘a lot of money.’
Demonstrators take part in Extinction Rebellion protest on Westminster Bridge in London this afternoon, one of four protests
‘The Government can end this misery immediately by making a statement to end new oil and gas – it’s a no-brainer, logical first step.’
It came after Extinction Rebellion blocked four of London’s busiest bridges on the first day of the Easter bank holiday after comrades Just Stop Oil earlier raided three depots.
Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion activists were on Waterloo, Blackfriars, Lambeth and Westminster bridges, calling for an end to new fossil fuel investments.
Demonstrators playing bongos and waving banners reading ‘end fossil fuels now’ and ‘love in action’ were pictured facing queues of traffic headed by double-decker buses.
The Metropolitan Police said they were attempting to control the disruption.
However, photos showed three officers sitting on the back of a police van while watching the eco-warriors.
The force said: ‘We are aware of a number of demonstrations happening today. We are seeing pockets of protest which are causing delays and disruption across central London. A policing operation is in place and officers are on scene and working to manage the impact.’
Earlier, activists who have infiltrated an oil plant near Birmingham vowed ‘we’ll be here as long as we can’ after climbing on top of the facility as part of a series of dawn protests.
Eco-zealots from Just Stop Oil also managed to climb on top of a loading bay at Kingsbury Terminal in Warwickshire after gaining access to the facility in the early hours of Friday morning.
Members of the group – who aim to put pressure on the Government to block new oil and gas projects in the UK – also climbed on top of an oil tanker at Gray’s Terminal in Essex and have targeted the nearby Navigator Terminal in Thurrock.
Warwickshire Police say they have already arrested 12 activists from the group, while Essex Police say they have charged 12 people following protests in Thurrock.
Despite the police crackdown, one member of the group said they and six others were still inside the Kingsbury Terminal on Friday.
In a video, posted on the Just Stop Oil Twitter account, one activist said: ‘In the early hours of this morning seven of us climbed up in amongst the pipes of the loading bay, blocking the terminal.
‘We intend to stay here as long as we can, or until the Government decides to stop all new oil and gas projects.’
Several oil firms have secured civil injunctions aimed at stopping environmental protesters from targeting their fuel processing sites.
A number of key operators including Navigator Thames, ExxonMobil and Valero gained their injunctions in the last few days, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said on Friday.
Valero Energy had obtained a High Court injunction against a number of environmental groups and ‘persons unknown’ earlier this week following recent protests at the Kingsbury terminal.
It bans anyone from damaging any part of the land at each of the firm’s sites, from ‘affixing themselves to any other person or object’ on the land or parts of access roads, and from building any structure.
Police speak with activists from the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion (XR) as they block Blackfriars Bridge in London
The Metropolitan Police said they were attempting to control the disruption. However, photos showed three officers sitting on the back of a police van while watching the eco-mob
A Met Police statement said: ‘A policing operation is in place and officers are on scene and working to manage the impact’
Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion activists were on Waterloo, Blackfriars, Lambeth and Westminster (pictured) bridges, calling for an end to new fossil fuel investments
Demonstrators playing bongos and waving banners reading ‘end fossil fuels now’ and ‘love in action’ were pictured facing queues of traffic headed by double-decker buses
Eco-zealots from Just Stop Oil have managed to climb on top of a loading bay at Kingsbury Terminal in Warwickshire after gaining access to the facility in the early hours of this morning
An activist from Just Stop Oil is carried away by police officers after blocking an entrance to a fuel terminal during a protest in Grays, Essex
Police officers stand nearby as activists from Just Stop Oil sit in front and on top of a fuel tanker during a protest at a roundabout in Grays, Essex
The green activists claim production has been halted at Kingsbury Oil Terminal, near Birmingham , this morning after activists gained access to the site. The group have also blocked access to Grays Inter Terminals. The group, along with Extinction Rebellion (XR), have targeted oil sites across the country across April
Police officers stand nearby as activists from Just Stop Oil sit on top of a fuel tanker during a protest at a roundabout in Grays, Essex
Activists from the Just Stop Oil campaign group stand on top of an oil tanker at Stoneness Roundabout in Grays Essex
Protestors holding a banner saying ‘Just Stop Oil’ as they sit on top of a fuel tanker during a protest in Grays, Essex Friday
A police officer walks nearby as activists from Just Stop Oil sit on top of a fuel tanker during a protest in Grays, Essex
Police use cranes to remove Just Stop Oil activists sitting on top of a fuel tanker in Grays, Essex, Friday
Police gather as activists from Just Stop Oil blocks an entrance to a fuel terminal during a protest in Grays, Essex
Meanwhile, video posted on the group’s Twitter page shows one activist ‘tanker surfing’ – standing on top of an oil tanker – near to the nearby Navigator terminals
The green activists claim production has been halted at Kingsbury Oil Terminal, near Birmingham, this morning after activists gained access to the site
The recently imposed injunctions aim to prevent protest activity at oil sites across the UK.
Energy Minister Greg Hands said: ‘While we value the right to peaceful protest, it is crucial that these do not cause disruption to people’s everyday lives.
‘That’s why I’m pleased to see oil companies taking action to secure injunctions at their sites, working with local police forces to arrest those who break the law and ensure deliveries of fuel can continue as normal.
Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin said: ‘It is anticipated the road network will be busy today and in the coming days, as people travel and spend time with family and friends during the Bank Holiday weekend.
‘Our dedicated officers will continue to work across the weekend to keep Essex moving, keep people safe and minimise disruption to the public.
‘We also continue to work closely with our colleagues at the Crown Prosecution Service to secure charges where possible.
‘As demonstrated this week, if you come to Essex and engage in disruptive and dangerous protest, we will arrest you.’
Asked about the if police had taken any action against the trucker, a spokesperson added: ‘We are aware of footage showing a lorry driver removing a protestor from a tanker.
‘No one has been arrested and our enquiries are ongoing. We aim to bring these protests to a safe and swift conclusion.’
The latest protests come after eco-zealots from the group glued themselves to the top of a fuel tanker lorry on one of London‘s busiest roundabouts yesterday.
The protest happened in Chiswick, west London, just after 8am ahead of a busy weekend for travel for Easter.
It comes after one firm, Valero Energy, was granted an injunction against a number of environmental groups and ‘persons unknown’ earlier this week following recent protests at the Kingsbury terminal.
It bans anyone from damaging any part of the land at each of the firm’s sites, from ‘affixing themselves to any other person or object’ on the land or parts of access roads, and from building any structure. Valero also owns and operates sites in Manchester, Cardiff, Plymouth and Avonmouth.
Yesterday, in Chiswick, eco-protestors struck again when they glued themselves to the top of a an oil tanker. The Eddie Stobart vehicle was effectively hijacked as four people sat on top stuck to it.
They surrounded the lorry before disabling the controls and clambering onto it and gluing themselves on.
Colleague Cameron Ford – last previously seen as an Insulate Britain spokesman – openly mocked the police officers who were just feet away from the ground.
It was only after four hour that a crane had to be used to removed them and bring them down.
Ford had posted a video where he had declared: ‘Welcome to Black Planet, with me your host David Attenborough Jnr Jnr.
‘Here we have the strange homosapiens that wear the yellow jackets and the black jackets and they follow the orders knowing full well that the orders that they’re given will ultimately kill everything they love.
‘Instead they continue to protect the cans of black death and the fossil fuels demands because they just love money so goddamn much.
An activist from Just Stop Oil is carried away by police officers after blocking an entrance to a fuel terminal during a protest in Grays, Essex
Police are seen here carrying away a Just Stop Oil activist after the group began blocking the entrance to a fuel terminal in Grays, Essex this morning
Police surround activists from the Just Stop Oil campaign group as they try to block the entrance to the Inter Terminal oil storage depot in Grays
An activist from Just Stop Oil lies on the ground to block an entrance to a fuel terminal during a protest in Grays, Essex
Activists from Just Stop Oil climb a tanker during a protest in Grays, Essex, this morning, as the eco-warriors continued their month of action
Activists from Just Stop Oil sit on a tanker during a protest in Grays, Essex, this morning. The group have launched protests in Essex and Birmingham
Police officers intervene as activists from Just Stop Oil block an entrance to a fuel terminal during a protest in Grays, Essex
An activist from Just Stop Oil blocks an entrance to a fuel terminal during a protest in Grays, Essex, while sitting on a makeshift high-chair
An activist from Just Stop Oil is detained by police officers after blocking an entrance to a fuel terminal during a protest in Grays, Essex
Police lead away a Just Stop Oil activist after the group launched a fresh protest in Grays, Essex this morning
Activists from Just Stop Oil block an entrance to a fuel terminal during a protest in Grays, Essex. The group set up a make-shift high-chair at the site
Members of the group sat in front of the entrance to a fuel terminal in Grays, Essex, Friday as they continued their month of action
The activists from Just Stop Oil also jumped on top of a tanker and unfurled a banner with the words Just Stop Oil
Eco-zealots had earlier halted the vehicle by standing in front of it and waving orange jackets with the logo for Just Stop Oil on
An activist lies on the ground to block an entrance to a fuel terminal during a protest in Grays, Essex
‘We hope one day these strange homosapiens will realise they are actually f****** everything up including their own lives and they will turn around to the government and say ‘No more, no more’.’
Police at the scene appeared to be completely unaware they were being humiliated by the person in front of them.
Hounslow Police tweeted: Road closures are currently in place at the Chiswick Roundabout.
‘Diversions are in place. Please avoid the area if possible.’
Yesterday dozens of Extinction Rebellion activists glued their hands to the London HQ of Shell while hundreds marched on Buckingham Palace.
Video shared by XR showed two activists with their hands down on a reception desk with the logo of oil giant Shell visible in the background. Other pictures show three people holding XR signs saying: ‘Insiders wanted’.
Sharing the footage on their Twitter page, XR said: ‘Ordinary people have glued to the reception Shell HQ in London as protestors fill the lobby and surround the building.’
A police officer tries to unglue the hand of a demonstrator on top of a fuel tank truck, during a protest of Just Stop Oil
Police officers remove a demonstrator during a protest of Just Stop Oil, at thr roundabout in west London
The Just Stop Oil protest at Chiswick roundabout hot rush hour and is causing traffic chaos
Activists from Extinction Rebellion at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Pictures show three people holding a sign saying: ‘Insiders wanted’, at the reception of Shell HQ building in London Friday
In the video, one of the protestors says: ‘We are here to talk to HR, because we feel like there is not much point in talking to people at a corporation like this because those people clearly have not got any idea what is going on.’
A security guard then arrives and asks if they have glued themselves to the desk, with the protestor replying: ‘We have, yes.’
Outside, one hundred people from XR held up a placard with the name of an individual Shell employee and the words ‘Please Join Us’, while activists also handed out flyers to staff urging them to ‘switch to the right side of history, before Shell turns toxic on your CV’.
Another group positioned a fireman’s trampoline below the office windows bearing the message: ‘Jump Ship’.
While the protests took place in and outside the Shell building, another group who said they were scientists, superglued themselves to an entrance of the nearby Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as they continue to call for immediate action on climate change.
Hundreds of demonstrators also walked along Constitution Hill towards the Queen’s official London residence – although she is currently living at Windsor Castle – waving flags and holding a large banner saying: ‘End fossil fuels now’.
- Do you know the lorry driver in these pictures? Contact me: [email protected]
Where have Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion struck in past fortnight?
April 15
Group launch three dawn protests, one in Staffordshire and two in Essex. The group claim to stop production at Kingsbury site near Birmingham and block entrance to Navigator and Grays Terminals. One lorry driver appears to pull a protestor off of his lorry
April 14
Eco-zealots glue themselves to the top of a fuel tanker lorry on one of London‘s busiest roundabouts. The protest happens in Chiswick, west London, just after 8am ahead of a busy weekend for travel for Easter. A crane is brought in to help remove the activists safely.
April 13
Eco-mob glue their hands to the road and jump on top of oil tankers in Purfleet, Essex. They also march towards Buckingham Palace while others glue themselves to an entrance of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in London. Two protestors also glued themselves to the front desk of Shell’s HQ in London.
April 12
The protestors take their first day off during the action., ‘We decided to give them a break,’ a campaign official said. However, a group of XR activists carrying banners with ‘End Fossil Fuels Now’ target Lloyd’s HQ in London, forcing it to shut for a whole day.
April 11
Activists from the group target a fuel depot in Grays, Essex. Some spend more than 38 hours locked on to pipework above the depot’s loading bay. About 40 people are arrested.
April 10
Members of Just Stop Oil dig tunnels under access roads to the Kingsbury Oil terminal in Warwickshire. They are arrested on Sunday and Monday, according to Just Stop Oil. There are also protests outside the gates of the Buncefield Oil Terminal in Hemel Hempstead. Extinction Rebellion (XR), who are backing the Just Stop Oil campaign, also block Lambeth and Vauxhall bridges,
April 9
XR as part of the Just Stop Oil campaign, host sit-down demonstration in Regent Street and Oxford Circus.
April 8
XR target Tower Bridge in London, hanging up an ‘End Fossil Fuels’ now sign. One protestor suspends herself from the bridge using a wire and is eventually pulled up by rescue teams and is arrested by police.
April 7
Protesters from Just Stop Oil are seen targeting the Kingsbury terminal, near Tamworth, Warwarkshire. Video shows members of the group attempting to scale fences and make their way to the loading bay. In London, XR activist stage a protest outside the Treasure in London, rolling in barrels with the words ‘oil’ and ‘gas’ crossed out.
April 6
After days of protests at the Navigator Terminals, at West Thurrock, Essex, members of the group are removed. Just Stop Oil Tweets: ‘First removals of supporters happening inside the massive Navigator Terminal. Young people desperate and scared as a radical, reckless Government plans the destruction of their future.’
April 5
On the fifth day of the protests, eco-zealots block the entrance to the Kingsbury terminal in Warwickshire. At the same time, activists from the group, Louis McKechnie, Miranda Whelehan, Nathan McGovern, Claudia Penna Rojas and Cressida Gethin, hold a press conference in central London, as they continue to stage protests at oil depots.
April 4
Members of XR and Just Stop Oil block the entrance to an oil facility near London’s Heathrow Airport on their fourth day of action. The group say about 30 protesters had blocked the Esso West oil facility in west London as part of the campaign to force the government to end its reliance on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, a video is shared by one Just Stop Oil eco-zealot who is in an underground tunnel near to the Navigator oil terminal in Essex. The protestor, Ben 27, says he will leave the road once all new oil and gas projects are stopped. ‘I’m p***** off that our government is still investing in new fossil fuel projects,’ he says in the video.
April 3
More than 30 members of Just Stop Oil camp outside the Buncefield oil terminal in Hertfordshire overnight. In the early hours of the morning, 12 activists gain access to the site and enter the facility. A group of Christian climate activists also hold a communion in front of an oil tanker in Essex. The group set up a table, with a wine glass, red wine and bread and unfurl a Just Stop Oil banner.
April 2
After launching their campaign on April 1, the group continue their protests. A further 20 people are arrested in Essex, where Just Stop Oil protestors target a number of refineries.
April 1
Just Stop Oil and XR launch their month of action. Protestors target 10 critical sites including in Birmingham, London and Southampton.
Essex Police arrests 63 people after they target Inter Terminals UK, Grays, Navigator Terminals Thames, Grays, Purfleet Fuels Terminal.
The group also strike in the midlands, targeting Esso Birmingham, Kingsbury Oil Terminal, Warwickshire, and the BP Depot, Tamworth.
XR strike in the south, targeting Esso West, near Heathrow Airport, Esso Hythe, Southampton and BP Hamble, also near Southampton.
David Attenborough Jnr Jnr is Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain activist who went on TWO epic globetrotting trips of 12,000 miles in Canada and Europe
The Just Stop Oil protester who calls himself David Attenborough Jnr Jnr is Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain activist Cameron Ford.
He was photographed on his 31st birthday being dragged away from blocking the M25 last year – one of several such protests he had joined, frustrating tens of thousands of drivers.
MailOnline revealed that in the two years before his activism Ford has indulged himself not once but twice in lengthy trips abroad.
When approached about his travels Ford admitted he was a hypocrite but was unrepentant about his protests.
Cameron Ford, 31, is a regular on the Insulate Britain protests that have blocked the M25, causing fury and mayhem for drivers
Ford has been named as one of the most persistent protesters in the spate of blockages of major motorways last year
He went on a 10,000 mile four month trip across the Atlantic and around Canada – then just months later on a 2,000 mile plus jaunt across much of Europe in an old diesel van.
The fossil fuels burned and the resulting carbon emissions generated by Ford’s two trips would have been more than double the entire annual carbon footprint a single person in many countries produces in an entire year.
Yet no sooner had he returned from the second trip than he was lecturing others.
Ford has embarked on two big trips in two years with one driving his old diesel Citroen van from Cambridgeshire to Poland
The Buddhist and his female friend drove hundreds of miles in the old van despite its carbon emissions pumped into the air
His incredible carbon-busting holiday marathon began in the autumn of 2019 as Ford embarked on a four month jaunt across Canada which involved a round trip of 8,500 miles in flights alone.
He then travelled extensively around Canada for 120 days, posting occasional updates of him having fun in Edmonton, ice swimming in a lake in Alberta, and later sledging in British Columbia. These are just the locations he posted about but they alone mean he must have travelled at least 1,500 miles within Canada too on top of his flights – taking the entire distance travelled over 10,000 miles.
And regularly while he was enjoying this trip of a lifetime, despite its negative effects on the environment, Ford – apparently oblivious to the contradiction – was also regularly posting content promoting Extinction Rebellion and its twin pressure group Insulate Britain.
He took this trip despite research published just weeks before he embarked showing that just a single long-haul flight generates more carbon emissions than an average person in many poorer countries consumes in a whole year.
The globetrotting eco-warrior enjoyed an ice bathing experience on his Canada tour in which he flew across the Atlantic
Ford has tried to portray himself as a serious campaigner but sometimes he seems to fall short
He finally returned to the UK in January 2020 but had only been back a matter of days when he began planning his next international trip – again apparently oblivious to the personal contributions to global warming this would inevitably cause.
On January 15 he was asking advice about what van to buy for his next trip. It’s not clear what he went on to spend but by August he had clearly not only bought a van but driven it many thousands of miles around continental Europe.
In an album he entitled ‘From Whittlesford to Warsaw’ on August 29 he posted 25 pictures showing himself and a female companion cavorting around a series of exotic locations during the previous weeks visibly enjoying themselves at each.
The direct trip between the two places would involve a round trip of well over 1,500 miles driving – and it’s plain that Ford took many pleasure-driven deviations. This means he would have generated at least 380kilos of carbon.
Perhaps he used a modern low-emission vehicle? No – quite the contrary. The same ‘lovely little van’ he used for the trip, a diesel-powered Citroen, he then offered for sale in January this year by which – no doubt boosted by Ford’s penchant for globe-trotting – it had an astonishing 145,000 miles on the clock.
Once back in England Ford then saw no contradiction in stopping other motorists – most of whom would have been driving much shorter distances with more compelling reasons than he just had – being able to move around.
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