Environmental activists target US embassy, decry Trump victory as ‘climate breakdown’

Environmental activists vandalised the US Embassy in London on Wednesday, labelling Donald Trump’s victory as a marker of “fascism” and “climate breakdown.” The protesters sprayed orange paint on the embassy’s outer wall.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that no one was injured in the incident, adding that two men, aged 72 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine, in an email to NPR, described the act as “vandalism purporting as protest” and stated that both suspects remain in custody.

The protest group Just Stop Oil claimed responsibility, sharing footage of the incident on social media. In a statement, the group said the “only real winner” of the US election is “corporate power” which prioritises the fossil-fuel industry over ordinary people. Referring to recent deadly floods in Spain, where it claims “hundreds of bodies continue to be dragged from the mud,” the group cited the disaster as a sign of “what is to come” if political leaders fail to act on climate change.

“As long as democracy is hijacked by corporate interests and billionaires, it will fail to deliver the change people are crying out for,” the group stated. “This will always leave the door open for fake populists like Trump to exploit the disaffection many feel.”

Just Stop Oil activists have previously disrupted major events, including Wimbledon matches, London’s Pride festival, and even vandalising Van Gogh paintings at the National Gallery, in efforts to highlight what they describe as an impending climate collapse.

The embassy targeted in Wednesday’s protest is located in a newer complex along the River Thames in South London, to which American diplomats moved in 2018. Trump once referred to the location as “off” and criticised the relocation as a “bad deal.”