Protesters Chain Themselves to Fake Fuel Pump at US Embassy Over Trump's Iran War
In a dramatic demonstration, activists from the campaign group Fossil Free London gathered outside the heavily-guarded US Embassy in Nine Elms, London, this morning to protest against the oil crisis sparked by Donald Trump's war with Iran. The protest, which began shortly after 8:15 am, featured two protesters with painted white faces who tied themselves to a life-sized yellow mock petrol pump while having treacle, made to resemble oil, poured over their heads.
Symbolic Action Against Fossil Fuel Dependency
The protesters held homemade signs with messages such as "Stop Trump," "Break free from oil wars," and "Break free from Rosebank," referring to the controversial UK oil field. As members of the public queued to enter the embassy, the activists sat on the floor next to the fake pump, emphasizing their symbolic stance against the fossil fuel industry. One protester, who identified herself as Rainbow from the East of England, stated, "We're here because we're protesting that we're locked into a really damaging and dangerous fossil fuels industry. We need to break away from these."
Rainbow, 40, explained that the group chose the embassy due to "what's happening in the world at the moment with the situation with Iran." She added, "We need to have a just position to renewables. Oil is essentially killing us - it's killing the planet. We're just really trying to make a symbolic protest at how damaging it is. We're hurtling towards energy catastrophe and we're locked into systems that are damaging for people and energy bills."
Criticism of War Profits and Energy Market Fluctuations
Fellow activist Rosie, 28, who declined to give her surname, highlighted the economic impacts, saying, "We're outside the US Embassy because Trump's illegal war on Iran has led to massive spikes in the cost of our energy here in the UK. As oil bosses profit massively, BP and Shell alone are set to make five billion dollars from the war in Iran and worse still Trump and Nigel Farage are using this crisis that they fuelled and started as an excuse to drill for more fossil fuels."
Rosie continued, "We're out here to say that for as long as we stay hooked on fossil fuels here in the UK, we are subject of these massive fluctuations in the energy market and true energy security does not mean we should drill for more oil and gas. It means that we should harness the power of the wind all around us on this island, the waves and the sun, because we don't fight imperial violent wars to get energy from the sun. It's all around us."
Warnings of Climate and Economic Consequences
Rosie emphasized the broader implications, noting, "This is massively important for ordinary people. You look at what has happened since the war in Iran started - a massive spike in our energy prices and with more to come if this war doesn't stop soon. I think for the future of the UK, we really need to think seriously about how we can create reliable energy security and that is renewable energy and if let Reform and Trump hijack our politics and then expand oil and gas here in the UK, like the Rosebank Oil Field, we're just gonna see skyrocketing and fluctuating energy bills for the long term."
She also pointed to climate risks, stating, "That's also not to mention the climate impacts of oil and gas. The International Energy Agency has said for a long time we can have no new oil and gas. We are to keep below 1.5 degrees in warming and if we go above that, that means floods in the UK, that means people losing their homes, it means food insecurity, we might not be able to feed ourselves as a country, so really this is so serious."
Campaign Group's Stance on Fossil Fuel Ties
The protest included signs reading "Stop Trump tying us into fossil fuels," "Break free from climate crisis," and "Break free from big oil." Fossil Free London highlighted that one of Reform's major donors, Jeremy Hoskings, has seen his fossil fuel and energy hedge fund investments rise by more than $25 million since the war began in Iran. Robin Wells, Director of Fossil Free London, said, "Right now we are seeing the horrors of Trump's war on Iran in the faces of dead schoolgirls and facing skyrocketing energy costs at home. And Big Oil cashes out big, with bumper profits. We're protesting today to say that for as long as the UK stays tied up in fossil fuels, we'll see more oil wars, more extreme weather deaths and more instability."
Wells added, "The UK needs to cut ties with Trump and Big Oil. We need to break free from this knot of violence. That starts with scrapping new UK oil and gas and rejecting Rosebank. Until then, being tied into Big Oil's big disaster leaves us paying the price."
Broader Context of Middle East Crisis and Energy Shortages
The protest occurs as the deepening Middle East crisis causes oil prices to surge, with analysts warning of jet fuel shortages in Europe within days. On Tuesday, Donald Trump told Britain to protect the Strait of Hormuz without US assistance after his war efforts led to its shutdown. Trump posted online, urging countries like the UK to "buy from the US, we have plenty" and to "go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT," while criticizing allies for not supporting US actions in Iran.
There is mounting concern over aviation fuel shortages, with the last known shipment from the Middle East expected to arrive today. No other UK-bound tankers have transited the Strait of Hormuz since Iran began its blockade. Britain relies on the Middle East for at least half of jet fuel imports, following a decline in domestic refining and the end of Russian imports after the Ukraine invasion.
Motorists are already feeling the strain, with diesel and petrol prices climbing to their highest levels since 2022. Filling a family diesel car now exceeds £100, at 182.8p a litre, and petrol is up to an average 152.8p a litre, according to the RAC. Forecasts suggest average annual household energy bills could rise by £288 in July. Additionally, fertiliser shortages threaten to drive up food prices, while disruption to aluminium supplies could hit manufacturing. Around 40% of Europe's jet fuel passes through Hormuz, with analysts warning of potential shortages at major European hubs within days, prompting carriers to prepare contingency plans such as additional refuelling stops.
