That’s the way to deal with them! Dramatic moment as guards wrestle two Just Stop Oil activists to the ground after jumping barricades in a failed attempt to pull off a stunt at Dippy the dinosaur exhibition in Coventry
- It is clear that activists intended to spray paint the dinosaur exhibit
- But guards dragged them to the ground before they could reach them
This is when two eco zealots from Just Stop Oil are tackled by security while trying to enter a dinosaur exhibit at a museum.
Two protesters were arrested as they entered the ‘Dippy the Dinosaur’ exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry.
Footage posted by the protest group shows Daniel Knorr, 21, and Victoria Lindsell, 67, climbing over a low metal barrier before being tackled to the ground by staff in safety jackets.
The pair were then led away in handcuffs by West Midlands police officers.
It is clear that they intended to spray paint the dinosaur exhibit.
Two protesters were arrested as they entered the ‘Dippy the Dinosaur’ exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry
Daniel Knorr is led away from the museum by a police officer after the failed stunt this morning
One employee grabs Mr. Knorr’s backpack, while another tackles Mrs. Lindsell, yelling, “Stop it, stop it now.” Do you understand?’
The protesters both remove their jerseys to reveal white Just Stop Oil t-shirts before being removed.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson confirmed that two people were arrested at the museum on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage at around 10am.
Police added that “two large bags of dry paint have also been seized by officers” and that “protest liaison officers” are still on the scene to “protect people and keep disturbance to a minimum.”
A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said: “Two Just Stop Oil supporters were arrested this morning at the Herbert Museum in Coventry demanding the government halt all new UK fossil fuel projects and calling on employees and directors of UK cultural institutions to get involved . civil resistance to the genocidal policy of the government.’
Ms Lindsell, an English teacher from Leamington, Warwickshire, said she felt ‘compelled’ to take part in the ‘civil resistance action’ because ‘nothing else has moved our genocidal government to act for the good of all’.
Also involved in the Insulate Britain protest group, she has been involved in a number of demonstrations in recent months.
She was charged with three public nuisance charges in March last year after being arrested at least five times for blocking roads, including the M25.
The protesters both remove their jerseys to reveal white Just Stop Oil t-shirts before being removed
Knorr lay motionless after being tackled by guards, who were able to confiscate a backpack full of paint
Knorr, an Oxford student, also said he felt he had “no choice” but to take part in the stunt because “we are heading for suffering, mass death and the destruction of our species.”
In a statement, he said: “I cannot and will not commit myself to a future where I stand helplessly as these horrors unfold. The dinosaurs had no choice – we did.
Humanity is at risk, as is everything we know and love: our historical artifacts, our art, our heritage. Cultural institutions have not recognized the truth and have not addressed the urgency of action.
“It is immoral for institutions to stand by as our society inevitably collapses. “We call on everyone involved in art, heritage and culture to join us in civil resistance.”
