Protesters from Just Stop Oil placed posters on Mark Jenkinson MP’s building and have been called “spoilt, middle-class climate clowns” by the politician after the protest at his Maryport office on Friday. The posters read “Stop Tory Coal,” which was intended to express their disapproval of plans for a new coal mine in West Cumbria. Two women were arrested during the demonstration, which was condemned as a childish stunt by Jenkinson. Just Stop Oil criticised the response and called the protesters names such as adolescent.
Jenkinson, the Workington MP, subsequently took to social media to voice his criticism of the demonstrators. He vehemently criticized their alleged sense of entitlement and accused them of believing that they are above the law. He referred to them as plonkers and said the window cleaner had to come back to the building to clean up “after these overgrown attention-seeking babies”. Moreover, he made remarks about the protesters’ use of plastic and paper made from the felling of trees and leaving rubbish behind, adding that they had driven to Maryport in fossil fuel vehicles.
The Cumbria Police is conducting an investigation into the report of damage to the windows caused by an adhesive. A woman in her 40s and another in her 60s have been held on suspicion of criminal damage. Jenkinson contended that, while these protesters deliberately chose a Friday knowing he would not be present, they were surprised on this occasion because he was there and gave them a few choice words before they dispersed.
Opening a new coal mine is “total madness” at a time when the climate is off-balance, according to Just Stop Oil, who were horrored by the approval of the new mine near Whitehaven in December 2022. Unimpressed critics argued at the time that it undermined targets for climate change while supporters were relieved about the promise of new jobs. The group criticised Jenkinson for his response, attributing it to an adolescent standard of reply. Constituents, they argued, deserve better accountability from “plonkers” like Jenkinson because political action is ineffective. Furthermore, the group lashed out at Jenkinson’s claims about driving cars and using polluting materials, countering that he doesn’t have any clue how they got to the location
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