London Pride Parade stopped by Just Stop Oil protesters, 7 arrested; Here’s what happened

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Stop Oil movement were arrested for attempting to halt the procession in central London. Images circulated on social media showed police removing the demonstrators who had managed to briefly halt the march. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the arrests were made on grounds of public nuisance offenses. Prior to the start of the parade, LGBTQ+ members of Just Stop Oil called on Pride organizers to cease accepting sponsorship money from «high-polluting industries.» The activists urged the LGBTQ+ community to reject partnerships with such companies, emphasizing the environmental impact and the need for a clean energy transition.

According to a report by BBC, Will De'Athe-Morris, representing Pride in London, expressed his desire for the protest not to overshadow the parade's core message. He emphasized that Pride serves as both a protest and a celebration, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and supporting the transgender community through a separate march. De'Athe-Morris noted that any attempt to disrupt the parade undermines the efforts made to advocate for these rights and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Police reported a temporary delay of approximately 17 minutes as officers handled the situation at the junction of Piccadilly and Down Street. Protesters sat down in front of the Coca-Cola float for around 20 minutes before being removed. Despite the interruption, the DJ on the float continued to play music, and the crowd cheered as the demonstrators were escorted away. Just Stop Oil representatives highlighted their concerns about new oil, gas, and coal licenses and called for organizers to condemn such actions. They expressed disappointment in the LGBTQ+ community's associations with