JUST Stop Oil leaders are holding secret training sessions as they plot to bring London to a halt on a single day of mass action.
In a video, one activist evokes suffragettes using arson in a rabble-rousing speech intended to enlist more eco-zealots for their campaign of chaos.
Recruits are then given four hours of training in a North London office linked to other hardline groups and dubbed a Centre of Activism.
The building, where The Sun on Sunday infiltrated one of the training sessions, is not only where Just Stop Oil members meet but is also linked to activists from Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and Animal Rising.
Our investigation reveals:
1. ONE Just Stop Oil leader, Lance, boasted of trying to recruit enough protesters to shut down London this summer;
2. TRAINING leader Judy Bruce, 83, bragged how police “facilitate” their protests even though one officer was seriously injured in a crash while responding to a demo;
3. RECRUITS are told to consider they are being lied to if they are told their protests are blocking an emergency service vehicle;
4. MEMBERS are urged to avoid saying the word “leader” when on demonstrations to avoid being arrested for a conspiracy charge;
5. THE group tries to get police to arrest as many of them as possible to overwhelm officers;
6. BIZARRE training sessions prepare recruits to face abuse from onlookers and involve role play where some pretend to be vehicles they are blocking.
Just Stop Oil has caused widespread disruption with its protests over the past two years.
Its supporters have staged sit-ins on motorways, glued themselves to buildings and roads, damaged works of art and even curtailed a World Snooker championship match this month with a powder paint protest.
The Met spent £7.5million in just nine weeks in autumn last year on policing JSO protests.
And in November a Met chief said 12,000 work shifts had been dedicated to clearing roads and patrolling motorways to limit disruption.
But the movement is hell-bent on further protests and is training recruits in a large, anonymous- looking office block in Dalston.
It is thought to cost £2,000 a month to lease and is below residential flats and alongside pubs and shops on a parade.
While signing up online to register before the session, our reporter was asked to watch videos by Extinction Rebellion veteran Rowan Tilly, 65, in which she tells people to follow the example of the suffragette movement.
Showing drawings of a woman hurling missiles in front of a policeman, she says: “You’ve got suffragettes throwing rocks, breaking windows, using fire and arson and so on. The suffragettes won their cause. Let yourself be seduced.”
In 2021, District Judge Michael Bisgrove reportedly praised her “sincerity” and “noble” deeds as he gave her an absolute discharge when she appeared in court for obstructing the highway for Extinction Rebellion.
On arrival at the building on Tuesday last week, our reporter did not need to show any form of ID to prove his identity — even though he had printed out a ticket on registering.
Instead, a group member told us to go to the back of the building — the front section appeared to be a working office.
Several of the 20-plus trainees said they had been inspired to attend the session because of the orange paint stunt at the world snooker championship in Sheffield.
The gathering began with a rallying call from a JSO leader, who said his name was Lance and explained the importance of the slow marches and road sit-downs — disruptive tactics the group has used repeatedly.
He said its aim was to recruit more members to bring London to a standstill on a day of mass action.
Lance said: “Disruption is really, really important. We need a mass element of that.
“When we get to the point that we have 1,000 marching every day — that’s what we should aim for.
“One thousand every day. Fifty marches every day. So we can shut London down on one day. That is the level of disruption we’re aiming for.
“At the moment we have 100 marching every day. We’ve gotta keep going. We’ve got time to build it up.”
Lance spoke about how Just Stop Oil needed to be more organised and focused to achieve its aims.
He added: “We don’t just need to train, we also need to mobilise.
“Slow marches are incredible, mobilising at marches, what you’re learning to do right now is vital.”
He said he wanted 95 per cent of the group’s time to be taken up “training and mobilising” and the rest taking action.
Two women then took over, explaining how to avoid getting arrested and what to do if you are.
One was 83-year-old Judy Bruce, a veteran campaigner who has been arrested several times and previously said she would be prepared to go to jail for her beliefs.
She said: “Police do facilitate us on these marches, which is really nice. If one person looks like they’re being arrested, it’s important to stay close with them and shadow them and be involved.
“They need one police officer per protester and when we’re in big numbers that makes it very difficult for them.”
But she warned police generally were “not on our side” and “do not tell them anything”.
The first hour or so was taken up by working out which different type of behaviour would be violent, non-violent and not violent.
This week, JSO members blocked an ambulance in Oxford Street, Central London.
But Judy said it was important when members of the public pointed out an emergency service vehicle was being blocked to recognise that they could be lying.
She also said: “Nobody should be referred to as a leader in the group. This could leave them with a charge for conspiracy.”
One situation which was discussed was what would happen if they were told someone had died on the roads as a result of their protests.
Judy said she would be horrified at such a situation.
But one trainee said: “At the end of the day we’re doing this because we have no other choice.”
Recruits were also taught how to be relaxed and flaccid and lie on the floor while others acting as cops tried to drag them away.
And they were told that if anyone removed your protest sign to not get angry, give chase or fight — but to simply let it go.
Training also included coaching on how to deal with abuse from the public.
Attendees were split into two groups to act out what it would be like on a real march.
One group was given orange hi-vis jackets and had to pretend to be taking part in a march and then walk around a room measuring about 75ft by 75ft.
The second half of the group was asked to sit on chairs and wait for the protesters to walk in before pretending to be cars by making engine noises.
They were then asked to get off their chairs and hurl abuse at the protesters.
Those on the receiving end were given feedback on how they handled the shouting and swearing, including insults such as “get a job”, “scumbag” and “get a life” as well as being told they had caused deaths.
In response to our investigation, Tory MP Conor Burns said: “The malice of these people is only exceeded by their stupidity.
“I think we would all happily club together for a one-way ticket to Beijing to fly them there and see how they get on with their protests there. The public view is clear — they’ve had enough.
“People want to get on with their daily lives without these Neanderthals.
“What has been exposed here is shocking.
“They clearly have no fear of the police or the law. That is worrying. They need to be sent a strong message.
“I fully support any fresh crackdown on these people.
“They should be dealt with by the full force of the law.”
Tory MP Nigel Mills said: “This is shocking. This group has cost the public purse millions and they are operating in plain sight.
“It’s a disgrace. They clearly have no fear of the police. In fact, they seem to think they do a good job in handling them on marches.
“We need to get tough. Hard-working members of the public are angry and fed-up with the enormous disruption.”
