Activists block London street with oil-spattered statue of Boris Johnson

London, Oct 11 (EFE).- The United Kingdom branch of Greenpeace shut down the street in front of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official residence on Monday by installing a statue of the British leader spattered with oil to protest his government’s support for an offshore oil project in Scotland.

Activists wearing jackets and hats emblazoned with “Stop Cambo” chained themselves to the statue on Downing Street, which stands 3.6 m (12 ft) tall and is surrounded at the base by oil barrels.

“Cambo oil field: Boris Johnson’s monumental climate failure,” reads a plaque at the feet of the stone rendering of the prime minister Greenpeace hopes to persuade the Conservative government to rescind approval for plans to develop the Cambo field, estimated to hold more than 800 million barrels of oil.

The controversy over Cambo coincides with a fuel shortage in the UK that has led to long lines at gas stations and price increases that could make heating their homes unaffordable for many families.

And a few weeks from now, Johnson is due to preside over the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

“Johnson must stop Cambo, and instead prioritize a just transition to renewable energy to protect consumers, workers and the climate from future shocks,” Greenpeace UK campaigner Philip Evans said. “If he doesn’t, he will be remembered as a monumental climate failure.” EFE jh/ta/dr