I'm sorry, sir. – You're gonna move, or I'm gonna run you over, bro.
It's up to you. You're gonna move, or I'm gonna push you out the way.
I'm Damien Gayle. I've been on the road with Insulate Britain
for the past two months as they try to force the government
to insulate the nation's homes.
This is the only thing we can do to try and wake people up
to the fact our government is destroying the future for our children.
By blocking motorways, riling up drivers.
You're fucking trying to blackmail the government.
It doesn't work that way, does it?
And arguing on breakfast TV.
So they can put us in prison and that's the home secretary's decision
and I've had enough.
Bye. – Yeah, bye.
Insulate Britain activists were taking big risks sitting in the roads.
But who are they? And can this type of protest ever work?
I love this picture of them. The steely faced OAPs of Insulate Britain.
That's the image they're trying to put across, you know,
they're dedicated climate activists.
They've got the sandwiches in their bag,
they've got their satsumas and their bananas ready for the long haul, basically.
So I recognise these activists across the road. We're just trying to discreetly wait for them
to come out and start blocking the road which I think they're probably going to do any second now.
Looks like they're just waiting for the right moment when the traffic stops.
OK, here we go.
Sorry, sir, you're gonna move or I'm gonna run you over, bro, it's up to you.
You're gonna move or I'm gonna push you out the way.
Sir, that would be a very dangerous thing to do.
Please take care, sir.
If you jump in front of a moving car and you get licked, that's on you. Done!
We're not the people you should be targeting. Do you protest with your
placards outside government like everyone else, why stop us from going to work?
We are really not targeting you.
You are, you are targeting us! why stop us from going to work?
Do you know about what their cause is and what their demands are?
Insulation, is it? – Yeah.
Very ignorant people. – And what do you hope will happen to these people?
I hope they get arrested, thrown in jail and the key thrown away.
And so did the protesters.
They originally wanted at least 100 people in prison to coincide with the Cop26 climate summit.
And then move on to the arrest phase if they don't move, all right?
Just pick one, we'll start with this one.
So you might see that their hands are glued to the floor now.
When the police arrive, they stick themselves down to make it more difficult for them to be removed
but they told me that they don't do that until the police arrive probably because of the danger
of their hand's been yanked off the floor by people taking matters into their own hands.
What type of glue? – Superglue.
I always remind myself of why I'm doing it and I am so terrified of the future
if not enough is being done by this government and other governments of the world.
Would you be willing to die for this cause?
I would say so because I have three children and I would
rather me die than they die a horrible death in 20 years time.
I mean, it's just ...
To me that's a no-brainer and it's a crazy thing to say but I think we've come to this point
that ordinary people like me are willing to die for this cause.
Since 13 September, Insulate Britain's activists have targeted
motorways and major roads in and around London with human roadblocks.
They aim to cause as much disruption as possible
and as many arrests.
Most had a history of campaigning with Extinction Rebellion
but many felt it had lost its way and something more needed to be done.
They are demanding the government insulate all Britain's homes by 2030.
It was a single practical demand they felt was a concrete first step towards tackling the climate crisis.
And one that was most likely to make tabloid headlines.
So team three is Julie, Liz and Andrea.
The activists invited us to an Airbnb that they
had rented for the week, a kind of safe house where they were planning their next action.
We could glue on this, we could yeah, but not in the middle.
So only one of us can glue and they'll be glued to each other? – Yeah.
Actually one glued to the road and
then like a hand and then maybe another person ...
Yeah, I'll go onto the road, I've got quite dry skin so,
I stick to tarmac well and then we just go on to each other.
Four of us waiting here and four of us
waiting here, so we can go out and do two bands, right?
I was here and the car was coming up against me, I guess because ... against us and I'm wondering if
it might be better just to lie down to let the car drive over us.
No, I'm not saying they're going to drive over us, I'm just wondering ...
I don't want anyone in this room
to have a car go over their body. – I don't either, but what happened on Monday was not ...
Working.
This place is like a palace. – It's really nice, isn't it?
How do you feel about coming and, you know, sleeping top to tail with
people you've only known for a little while? – I think I can't believe I'm doing this.
So that's the general feeling that I've got.
It's interesting to see older people and I found this
with XR as well, you know, you see older people getting involved with protesting and really
almost being like the radical edge, you know, where it's so often associated with young people.
Well, we've got the time we've got nothing less to lose, no jobs to lose,
and in my case, I remember what the world was like when I was young and it was very different.
I'm kind of amazed at myself that I'm here doing this and, you know, pleased to be doing it.
Just by the M25 Dartford for crossing. Insulate Britain have come out and blocked the roads here
and unlike in previous protests, the police have been got on the scene within minutes.
It seems like or even within seconds. Some of them have managed to glue themselves
to the floor, most of them haven't and they're just being pulled out of the road now by police.
We need some action from this treasonous government of ours.
This is the only thing we can do to try and get some action.
Good morning, can I ask your name? Can you tell me how you're doing?
Sorry guys, I need to interrupt here.
Sorry, I want to be careful not stepping over you.
Morning Louise, I'm arresting you on suspicion of obstructing the highway
and causing a public nuisance. You do not to say anything,
it may harm your defence, they may question you later on in court.
Boris Johnson get the job done. That's what I have to say, thank you.
Just wondering, what you think about this this protest? How do you feel about it?
I think it's very funny.
You think it's funny? – Funny, I love it.
What do you think is funny about it?
They ain't got no sense, that's funny. – Really? Do you know about what their cause is?
Not really, insult Britain, something like that? – Insulate Britain.
I've seen it popping online innit.
That's another one.
Where do you get your news from about what it is that they're doing and who they are?
I use Twitter a lot and you see, like, clips of Good Morning Britain and stuff like that,
where their leader gone on and then you see him walk off.
So that cut through, a lot of people have spoken about that to us.
And what impact did that have on you?
Just shows that I don't think even he doesn't really know what he's trying to achieve here.
The traffic's moving again so ...
It looks like this action has not been as much of a success as previous ones.
Do you have any idea why it was the police managed to get here so quickly?
No, I don't know.
How did you manage to get here so quickly?
It's always worth a try.
As police wrap this up, we got word of a more successful action up the road.
I'm gonna be getting two years in prison, I'm losing my house, I'm losing my job
because there's no other place I can be but here.
But whatever kind of positive cause
you're trying to gain for, the the main thing is you've pissed off the public, like, to be honest.
Every time that I've been released from the police station,
I've said to the police, I intend to re-offend and how irresponsible is it,
of the police to let me go again.
To release me, to re-offend and cause this disruption.
Hi. – Hi Louise, how you doing?
Hi, good, thank you.
Louise Lancaster used to be a teacher but quit to devote herself to the campaign.
So far I'd only spoken to her when she'd been under arrest or stuck to a road.
Would you like a cup of tea?
Please, yeah.
So I wanted to sit down with her and ask her what it's like being part of Insulate Britain.
How many times have you been arrested now? – I think that was number 12.
Number 12? Gosh.
So you must be getting quite used to it now? – I think I'm getting quite used to it, in fact being
in the cell is probably a bit of regen.
You can have a nap, have a read.
We've covered some of these actions and we've spoken to passers-by and drivers and we've asked them if they understand
what it is that you're doing and what your cause is about ... Sometimes there hasn't been a whole lot
of clarity about what it is that you're campaigning for.
So I'm sorry that people don't understand where we're from, maybe they don't want to think about it, maybe it's just too
upsetting a topic or maybe it's too worrying a topic, I'm not sure but we are constantly trying to
get that message across.
Well, I mean, you know from an external perspective looking at
Insulate Britain, it seems as though, it's mainly older people, it's mainly people who are middle class,
maybe slightly more well off, I mean, do you think that's a fair assessment?
I think we are who we are and it's other people make that judgment if they want to, but I think Insulate Britain
is very varied as much as it can be.
We're open to anybody to join us and
if people who are retired, there's more of those people that makes sense.
I mean have you tried to think of ways
to draw in more people from different ethnic groups or different, more diverse backgrounds?
We're always trying to get on board as many people as possible and we don't
mind who they are, so if it turns out that more from a certain demographic have
come forward then that is how it is but we welcome everybody.
And how have you felt about the ways in which you've been characterised by the press and by politicians?
I mean press and politicians, I think it's obscene, they're the criminals in all of this
and that is possibly why they are trying to demonise us
because we're showing them up.
That's what we intend to do, we want other people to see that
but we need more numbers just to really show the governments of this world that the people of this
world are not prepared just to let nothing happen. Really, really standing up and saying act now.
Oliver whose house we were in is one of nine activists already summoned
to high court for breaking an injunction banning Insulate Britain from the roads.
How are you feeling about it? – Well, I'm crapping myself.
I'm kind of proud as well like, this is the right time to be doing this, we're gonna have Cop.
The chance of Cop working is gonna be almost precisely zero and then it's like, well,
what are we doing well? Well, we're just gonna lock some people up for wanting a future, I feel like ...
I'm fucking disgusted. So this is one way that I can express that, by going to prison.
Where are we going with this? We're like in uncharted territory.
Today in the high courts, the government has shown its cowardice.
Nine ordinary people have been committed to prison
for demanding that the government fulfil its election pledges by insulating Britain's homes.
What hope do we have of them protecting our children, our economy or our country?