Activists spray paint on Harrods London showroom, Demands end of oil and gas

London: Activists associated with 'Just Stop Oil' on Thursday sprayed paint on the Harrods central London showroom. A video shared on the group's Twitter page showed two activists spraying orange paint on the windows of the luxury department store.

This is the group's 20th consecutive day of protest against oil and gas. The activists also staged a sit-in protest on Knightsbridge with banners. Some glued themselves to the road and others locked themselves together, reported Standard.co.uk.

Just Stop Oil has launched an aggressive campaign after PM Liz Truss vowed to allow new drilling for offshore fossil fuels as a measure to counter the energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The video already has over 8,000 views. The caption read: "At 9 am today, 20 Just Stop Oil supporters stopped traffic on Knightsbridge in central London, demanding an end to new oil and gas. Two have also sprayed the outside of Harrods department store with orange paint."

Another tweet read: "Our Government is criminally incompetent and morally bankrupt. They are actively seeking to accelerate fossil fuel production, which will kill millions of people while failing to address the worst cost of living crisis this country has ever seen."

"Vulnerable people will be freezing to death in their homes this winter, while the Government refuses to tax the rich and the big energy companies that are profiting from our misery. The disruption will end when the Government ends new oil and gas," read another tweet.

A series of videos on the microblogging platform showed that the windows of the store were entirely covered with paint. Protestors were also seen being led away by security staff. 17 people were arrested for wilful obstruction of the highway at Brompton Road. Two more were arrested for causing criminal damage, said police.