“I don’t want to go to prison, but I know it’s what I need to do.” – the National Gallery soup thrower Phoebe Plummer on why they will be in the streets again next week
Phoebe Plummer (they/them), a 22 year-old Just Stop Oil activist and the soup thrower from last October, talked about their preparations to go to prison alongside some of their friends and about their reasons for their actions with JSO.
As a 21 year-old, Phoebe became one of the two climate activists whose actions from last year gained worldwide attention after they threw a tomato soup at Sunflowers, a Vincent Van Gogh’s painting in the National Gallery in London. Now, they are preparing to go to prison because they plan to march in London next week.
Just Stop Oil, a British environmental activist group, is now in the middle of their 3 weeks of action. On their website’s homepage, they describe “The Plan” and state that from October 29th, they are peacefully slow marching in London on an “unprecedented scale” and are demanding no new oil, gas or coal. They declare:
“It’s how we’ll win and force this criminal government to act on the unfolding climate disaster by stopping new oil and gas. No-one’s going to save us, we need to come together to do that for ourselves.”
JSO frequently holds Zoom meetings about their plan and about how to get involved. This week’s meeting with Phoebe Plummer began with them making sure that everyone is prepared to hear the truth about the climate crisis.
Phoebe emphasised that they are not a scientist and referred to Nature, a world’s leading scientific journal that publishes peer reviewed research including papers about the predictions of the future impacts of the climate crisis. “The situation is a lot more serious than I was always led to believe,” said Phoebe before talking about the predictions and the amount of people that will be (or that already is) impacted by the climate crisis.
“That’s my motivation for doing this. It’s the impact that the climate crisis has on people.”
Because of their intent to continue with taking action and to march, Phoebe and some of their fellow activists from Just Stop Oil with a history of prior arrests or other legal challenges relating to their activism are now preparing to go to prison.
“I don’t want to go to prison, but I know it’s what I need to do,”
said Phoebe and emphasised that this is what they personally feel they need to do, and it is not what the meeting is about or something they are asking from others.
Phoebe works full-time with Just Stop Oil and part of their role is getting people to sign up to get involved in any way. There are many other ways in which people can get involved without risking an arrest. This includes volunteering or donating.
“I just feel like I am going mad asking people to do something,” they said and expressed their frustration with people’s apathy.
They highlighted the role of the government in the climate crisis, saying:
“It’s clear that the government and their friends in the fossil fuel industry are not going to stop. Not while there’s still money to be made.”
Throughout this period of taking action, news is coming out every day. Universities have been painted orange, people are marching on the streets and getting arrested and people from all over the country are travelling to London to come together against the government.
“We are not too late to stop the worst impact. That’s where the hope is,”
said Phoebe, ending their talk on a more hopeful and positive note. They expressed their determination in continuing with this strategy that has been successful many times in history.
For more information about Just Stop Oil and how to get involved, visit their website juststopoil.org and follow them on instagram @just.stopoil, @ncluni.vs.oil (focused on events in Newcastle upon Tyne).
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