At around 1pm today (February 25), a large Just Stop Oil banner was dropped from a bridge next to the racecourse on the River Thames in order to draw attention to the escalating climate emergency.

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The students are calling for the government to commit to immediately halt new oil and gas projects in the UK and for the university and its members to join the Just Stop Oil campaign in peaceful civil resistance.

This is the first such action taken by students at the University of Oxford, opening the door for local supporters to get involved.

Further actions, including the ‘slow marches’ first seen in London last year, are planned in the local area and across the UK over the coming months in defiance of the Prime Minister’s recent threat to crack down on Just Stop Oil’s use of the tactic.

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1